School Emergency Alert Strikes Home for App Developer

Developer of the Sutter Middle School App receives lockdown alert for daughter's school.

Sacramento, CA -- (ReleaseWire) -- 03/13/2014 --During a recent lockdown at Sutter Middle School, app developer Heidi Komlofske received a push message alert about the issue from the app. She had developed the app for the school, because her daughter is a student there, and she wanted to show schools how they can harness the power of a smartphone app to reach parents and students.

With the number of school incidents over the last few years, push messages is becoming the fastest way to reach the majority of parents on the go. Parents don't need to check their email, answer a phone call, or see the news. Push messages gives them an alert on the phone screen, even in sleep mode, that lets them then go into the app for more information.

"I never expected to get an alert about my daughter's school," says GoLocalApps President Heidi Komlofske. "The alert about the lockdown came through before the phone tree call did, as did the All Clear follow up. As a parent, I'm glad Sutter was able to get the word out so quickly. As an app developer, I'm proud our technology helped other parents know what was going on."

The lockdown didn't involve the school, but was triggered by a police incident nearby that was resolved quickly. But this non-emergency is just a reminder of the chance that any school may have an actual emergency and need an instant way inform parents, staff, and interested parties. A parent almost always has their phone with them, but isn't always checking email or able to take a call while driving. Push is the fastest and safest way to reach people anywhere they happen to be and in a way that is safe and actionable.

GoLocalApps has developed two apps for schools in Sacramento and is in discussions with other schools for apps as well. The apps are used for teacher and staff contacts, event calendars, grades and homework, Parent Teacher Organizations, and other useful tools. More than half the families at Sutter have downloaded the app and use it at least once a week. The Sutter Middle School app is available on iPhone and Android.

About GoLocalApps
GoLocalApps has produced more than 60 apps since 2010, including two iTunes best-selling apps – Diners & Drive-Ins TV and Secret Menu Starbucks Edition. Clients have included wine associations, downtown communities, tourism boards and community newspapers.

Contact:
Heidi Komlofske
heidi@1776productions.com
877-913-1776 x3
GoLocalApps
Sacramento, CA
http://golocalapps.com

Media Relations Contact

Heidi Komlofske
http://golocalapps.com

View this press release online at: http://rwire.com/476234