Follow These Steps for Communicating with Families
Determine which GoGuardian products your school or district uses. GoGuardian offers a suite of products for schools and districts. Your communication home to parents and guardians should describe the specific GoGuardian products your school or district has adopted. Resources on this page are specific to GoGuardian Beacon. Determine which policies or settings your school or district has selected. GoGuardian products offer a variety of settings and policy options. For example, your school or district can configure different settings for school hours and out-of-school hours, and can apply settings to different groups of students through Organizational Unit (OU)-based configuration. Determine whether your school or district should obtain parental consent or include opt-out language. GoGuardian’s sample letters do not include consent language or opt-out language. GoGuardian obtains school-based consent under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. However, depending on your local laws, policies, and community norms, your school or district may be legally required to — or may want to — include explicit consent or opt-out language. Consult your legal and policy team if you have questions about this decision.Resources for GoGuardian Beacon
Use the following resources when communicating with families about your school or district’s adoption of GoGuardian Beacon:- Letter Template for Parents and Guardians — A customizable letter explaining what GoGuardian Beacon is and how it works, for schools to tailor and send home to families
- Parent and Guardian Communication Resources — A full list of parent and guardian FAQs
Take These Preparation Steps
Prepare your school’s Beacon account for guardian notifications. GoGuardian Beacon includes a Guardian Notifications feature that schools and districts can enable after school hours. When enabled, Beacon sends email notifications to parents and guardians when an alert is generated. Review the Guardian Notifications configuration article for setup instructions. After enabling notifications, follow up on alerts sent through the Guardian Notifications feature to confirm that parents received them and are equipped to take appropriate next steps. Prepare parents and guardians before enabling notifications. If you choose to enable Guardian Notifications, ensure that parents and guardians are prepared before you turn the feature on. Specifically, confirm that parents and guardians:- Know how to update your school or district with changes to contact information or educational rights
- Know who to contact at the school after receiving a notification
- Understand what available resources look like if they or their student need support
- AFSP More Than Sad Training — Training for parents on youth suicide prevention
- Model School District Policy for Suicide Prevention — Includes a section on parental notification and involvement
- GoGuardian Self-Harm and Suicide Prevention Resource Page — Additional resources for schools and families
Resources
Letter Template for Parents and Guardians
Sample letter for schools to send home when adopting Beacon.
Parent and Guardian Communication Resources
Frequently asked questions about Beacon for parents and guardians.
Tips and Resources
Guidance for preparing staff and families before enabling Guardian Notifications.
About GoGuardian Beacon
Overview of Beacon and how schools use it.