(Dover, DE.) Delaware’s Departments of Technology and Information (DTI) and Department of Education (DOE) today launched a new voice activation system which provides school closing and other school status information via telephone. The new system was demonstrated in the Caesar Rodney High School library by DTI Secretary Tom Jarrett and DOE Associate Secretary of Education Dr. Michael Owens.

“Today we are pleased to provide another easily accessible source of information for Delaware’s citizens,” said Secretary Jarrett. “Over 15,000 people currently subscribe to the email subscription service for school closings and we’ve leveraged this technology to provide a simple voice system for those who might not have access to a computer at home.”

The new phone system utilizes existing web-based technology which currently provides school status information to email subscribers. The phone number is toll-free (877-831-7215) and permits parents, teachers, staff and students statewide to use any phone to obtain school status information any time day or night. The voice system is capable of handling up to 24,000 calls per hour, assuming a 30 second average call time and can handle 200 simultaneous calls. Callers may request information for multiple schools, one school at a time, while the system permits the same information to be repeated up to three times per call.

“Today’s voice activation system is a wonderful addition to a very valuable resource,” said Dr. Owens. “More and more of our community rely on the information provided within the school closing website. From this information, parents, teachers and students can make informed decisions regarding the status of their schools.”

The School Closing Website was created in 2001 as a result of House Resolution 7. The system was created using internal State of Delaware resources. More than 120 public, private and independent school administrators enter their information and it becomes immediately available via email to subscribers. Additionally, the information is also available on the school closing website, accessible via www.delaware.gov, state government’s primary informational website. Again, the toll free number for school status information is 877-831-7215.

DTI Secretary Tom Jarrett places a call to the School Closing Website Voice Activation System.  Photograph by Ron Gough, Public Information Officer, Department of Education.