Portal Messages: Messages that display on users' Portal pages can now be created from the Announcements tab.

Messenger: Messages can be created and sent from the Compose tab. Messages can be received from the Inbox tab. Batch messages can also be sent to applicable students and/or staff from the Compose tab. Messages can be flagged from the Inbox and Sent tabs.

Phone Communication:

Drafts tab: Message drafts can now be generated from the Compose tab. From here, messages can be scheduled, set as recurring, and saved as a draft. Once saved as a draft, messages can be viewed and continued from the Drafts tab. Once scheduled, messages can be reviewed and edited, as needed, from the Scheduled tab.

Edit Message button: Adding phone calls and SMS can now be completed from the Compose tab, Drafts tab, or Scheduled tab depending on the message that needs attachments. To add phone calls and SMS, you will click the corresponding tabs.

Attach Recipients button: Recipients are added from the Students and Staff pull-down where you can also conduct a student or user search from the Compose tab, Drafts tab, and Scheduled tab. In addition, recipients can also be imported from a CSV file, as needed.

Test button: The Test button now displays as Test Call on the Call tab of the Compose, Drafts, and Scheduled tabs where calls can be attached to messages.

Send button: Messages can be sent from the following tabs depending on the type of message you'd like to send: Compose, Inbox, Sent, Scheduled, and Drafts tab.

Scheduled button: Messages can be scheduled to be sent out on a specific date during a specified time from the following tabs: Compose, Inbox, Sent, Scheduled, and Drafts tab.

Request History tab: To review a report of sent messages, you can view the Communication Reports, which contains a log of all sent messages including the Type of message, Date, Sender, Recipient(s), Total, Errors, Message sent, Emergency flagged messages, Flagged messages, and more. All your sent messages also display on the Sent tab. To view messages scheduled to be sent out, click the Scheduled tab.

Templates tab: Templates can be created from the Templates tab and applied from the following tabs: Compose, Templates, Scheduled, and Drafts.

Attendance tab: Attendance-based messages can be created from the Settings tab in the Attendance section. The Attendance section allows users to enter a Title, compose a message/email (including applicable attachments, such as files, phone calls, and SMS), select the Type (Daily/Period), Schools, Attendance Codes, Letterhead, and the Hour and Minute of scheduled time to be sent.

Attendance messages are sent when the scheduled job Communication Queue is run, which replaces the Phone Communication Processing scheduled job.

Phone Numbers tab: Caller ID is set up from the Settings tab in the Caller ID Phone Numbers section where the Title, Phone Number, and Schools can be set. From here, you can also determine if the phone number is Public, the School Default, and/or the District Default.

1. In the Students menu, click Communication.

2. Click the Compose tab.

In addition to composing a message, there are various other options available from this screen. To create an Announcement, create a Template, or Use Template, click the corresponding buttons.

3. Select the Student Recipients type from the provided pull-down. This option allows you to choose how the Student and/or Family will be receiving the message. Options include:

• Students sends the message to the student's primary email address and/or phone number as identified in the address block of Address & Contacts via Student Info.
• Student Personal sends the message to the student's Personal Email address as identified in Student Info.
• Primary Contacts limits to the contacts marked as custody.
• All Contacts includes all users and/or persons in a student’s addresses and contacts.
• Once Per Family sends the message to the student's custodial contacts and/or contact with a Sort Order priority of 1. The Linked Students section in Student Info > Addresses & Contacts is also used to determine which students are in the same family. Within a sibling group, one student within the group who has at least one contact is selected randomly and all of their custodial contacts are messaged. If that student has two contacts with the same linked user, those two contacts are duplicated into one, and the user can see the message when logging in, or through any attached notifications.
• Teacher Of sends the message to a student's current teachers, based on your school access.
  • If you only have access to the students' primary school, the message will only go to active teachers at that school.
  • If you have access to both the primary and secondary school (or are a district-level user), the message will go to the students' active teachers at both schools.
• Students & All Contacts sends the message to the student's primary email address and/or phone number as identified in the address block of Address & Contacts via Student Info, and all users and/or persons in a student’s addresses and contacts.
• Students & Primary Contacts sends the message to the student's primary email address recorded in Student Info, as well as all logged custodial contacts for the selected student. If the student's custodial contacts reside at different addresses or have different recorded email addresses, the message will be sent to all addresses.

4. Select the Student Recipients from the provided pull-down. Select which Students should receive the message.

If you have access to multiple schools, the Student Recipients pull-down allow you to filter by school, such as Focus High School, as displayed in the image below. The schools displayed are dependent on the schools to which you have access and schools that contain active students. Schools that fall outside any specified minimum or maximum school years are excluded from the options presented in these pull-downs.

The number of selected recipients displays in the right corner to ensure you have the correct number of recipients selected out of the number possible; in this case, 3 / 82,482.

a. Click the Student Groups icon to select a student group as the student recipients from the pull-down.

i. Upon clicking the Student Groups icon, the pull-down displays all available student groups. Select the applicable student group from the pull-down.

Click the Students icon to switch back to a students pull-down.

b. Click the More Search Options icon (magnifying glass) to conduct a student search and utilize More Search Options.

i. Perform a student search. For more information on how to conduct a student search, see Searching for Students.

ii. Using the check boxes displayed next to the students, select the students to whom you'd like to send the message. The selections here populate the original student pull-down. Select the check box in the header to select all displayed students at once.

iii. Click Done.

5. Select the Letterhead template that you'd like applied to your message from the pull-down, if applicable.

6. Select the Staff Recipient from the provided pull-down. Select which users should receive the message.

If you have access to multiple schools, the Staff Recipient pull-down allow you to filter by school, such as Focus High School, as displayed in the image below. The schools displayed are dependent on the schools to which you have access and schools that contain active users. Schools that fall outside any specified minimum or maximum school years are excluded from the options presented in these pull-downs.

The number of selected recipients displays in the right corner to ensure you have the correct number of recipients selected out of the number of staff possible; in this case 4 / 13,716.

a. Click the User Groups icon to select a user group as the user recipients from the pull-down.

i. Upon clicking the User Groups icon, the pull-down displays all available user groups. Select the applicable user group from the pull-down.

Click the Users icon to switch back to a Users pull-down.

b. Click the More Search Options icon (magnifying glass) to conduct a user search and utilize More Search Options.

i. Perform a user search. For more information on how to conduct a user search, see User Info.

ii. Using the check boxes displayed next to the users, select the users to whom you'd like to send the message. The selections here populate the original staff pull-down. Select the check box in the header to select all displayed users at once.

iii. Click Done.

7. Select the applicable Academic Record category from the pull-down to determine how the message is stored in the students' cumulative folder.

8. Select the Secure Email check box to flag the messages as secure and require users to log into Focus in order to view the message.

9. Select the Priority check box to ensure the message will be dispatched ahead of other messages, with the only exception being emergency calls.

10. Select the Push Notification check box to send a push notification to mobile app users when the message is sent.

11. Select the Add Log Record check box to log the message in the students' and/or users' Letter Log record in Student Info and/or User Info. The message will be logged when the message is sent. Messages are also logged for students when the message is printed.

12. Select the Copy Self check box to copy yourself on the email so a copy of the email is sent to you as well as the selected recipients.

13. Select the Send as District check box to send messages (and attachments) to recipients from the "district;" the message displays as if sent by the district and doesn't include your name or information. Once sent, you will receive a confirmation that the message was sent, but the message will not display in your Sent folder.

14. Select the Send as School check box to send messages (and attachments) to recipients from the "school;" the message displays as if sent by the school and doesn't include your name or information. Once sent, you will receive a confirmation that the message was sent, but the message will not display in your Sent folder.

15. Select Allow Replies to enable student, parent, and staff recipients to respond to your messages.

• When this option is enabled, recipients can reply directly via:
  • Email: Replies route to [email protected] and appear in your Focus inbox.
  • SMS: For staff, messages are sent using a 10DLC number that supports replies.
  • Focus Portal: All recipients (staff, parents, students) can respond from within Focus.
• When disabled:
  • Students and Parents: Cannot reply by email, SMS, or within the Focus portal.
  • Staff: Cannot reply via email or SMS, but can still reply within Focus.
  • Messages to staff are sent using a non-replyable SMS short code.

16. Enter the Subject of the message in the provided text box. If a subject is not entered, the subject defaults to New Message.

17. To copy other users on the message/email, enter the emails addresses separated by semicolons in the Cc text box. For example, [email protected]; [email protected]

18. Select the First Only check box to copy the entered email addresses in the Cc text box on one email only. When the check box is cleared, the email addresses entered in the Cc text box display on all emails sent.

19. If you've set up a signature from the Settings tab, select the Include Signature check box to include the signature in the message.

20. Enter the Email (message) in the provided text editor. There are a variety of tools available, including text formatting and the ability to add links and images.

Follow the steps below to attach a File, Poll, Sign Up sheet, SMS, and/or Call before sending.

21. See the options described below for different ways to send your message.

Option 1: Click Send to send the message right away. Once sent, the message displays in the Sent tab.

Option 2: Click Schedule to schedule when the message should be sent.

a. Select the Send Date using the calendar pop-up and enter the Send Time in the provided text box.

b. If the message is Recurring, select the recurring method from the pull-down, such as Daily, Weekly, Monthly, or Annually.

i. If you set a recurring method, enter a Final Date in the provided text box to establish the time frame for which the message should run.

c. Click Save.

Once scheduled, you can view the message in the Scheduled tab.

Option 3: Click Save Draft to save the message as a draft. If saved as a draft, the message will be saved with all attached data in the Drafts tab.

Option 4: Click Discard to to discard the message if you do not wish to save it or send it.

22. Click Print to print the message.

23. Click Preview to see how the message will appear when sent or printed.

a. The message preview displays in a pop-up window. Scroll to read through the message, then click the white X to close the window.

1. Follow the steps for Composing Messages.

2. Be sure a Subject has been entered, then click Assign to User.

3. From the first pull-down, select the user to whom the message is being assigned.

If you have access to multiple schools, the pull-down allows you to filter by school, such as Focus High School, as displayed in the image above. The schools displayed are dependent on the schools to which you have access and schools that contain active users. Schools that fall outside any specified minimum or maximum school years are excluded from the options presented in these pull-downs.

4. Enter a Note in the provided text box to explain to the assigned user why you are assigning the message draft to them. Note: The message entered in the Note text box will also display as the Draft title for the assigned user.

5. Click Assign to User.

6. Click Done in the confirmation pop-up window.

1. Option 1: If a message has been assigned to you, you will first receive an Alert on the Portal page.

1. Option 2: From the Communication screen, the assigned message displays on the Drafts tab.

2. Select the assigned message.

3. Edit and send the message. See Composing Messages for details.

4. If you have permission to assign messages, you can re-assign the message or send it back to the originator by clicking Assign to User.

a. Option 1: In the pop-up window, to assign the message back to the originator, click Assign back to [User Name (User ID)]. Clicking Assign back to [User Name (User ID)] automatically populates the recipient pull-down.

a. Option 2: To assign the message to a new user, from the first pull-down, select the user to whom the message is being assigned.

b. Enter a Note in the provided text box to explain to the assigned user why you are assigning the message draft to them. Note: The message entered in the Note text box will also display as the Draft title for the assigned user.

c. Click Assign to User.

d. Click Done in the confirmation pop-up window.

1. Follow the steps for Composing Messages.

2. Click Preview to see how the message will appear when sent or printed.

3. The message preview displays in a pop-up window. Scroll to read through the message, then click the white X to close the window.

4. To print the message(s), click Print.

A PDF Print Preview window opens with the message(s) composed.

If printing, you have additional options to consider before printing including:

a. Include Student's or User's Name/ID on Each PDF Page: Select the check box to include the student's or user's name and identification number on each printed page (as it pertains to that person).

b. Fit Tables to Page: Select the check box to automatically adjust tables to fill the width of the page, ensuring better formatting and improved readability in printed letters.

c. Navigate to "Print Avery Labels" to create/print mailing labels after closing.: Select the check box to automatically navigate to the Print Avery Labels screen in order to create and print mailing labels for students if mailing the printed letters to students/parents.

d. Print Original: Select the check box to print the original message drafted as opposed to the messages generated based on the recipients' preferred language.

e. Print in Primary Contacts Language: Select the check box to print the messages in the recipients' primary contact language as opposed to the original composition language; i.e. this option translates all letters into the primary contact's language, which is determined by the linked user attached to the primary contact with a sort order of 1.

f. Add Log Records: Select the check box to add a record of the letter to the student's Letter Log via Student Info.

g. Sort by: Select the order in which you want letters/messages printed from the pull-down; options include by Student Name or by Period Number, such as Period 01, Period 02, etc.

h. Click Generate Letter to regenerate the messages using the Print Options selected.

5. Click the Print icon to print the messages. Clicking the Print icon opens another printing window which depends on your computer settings and printer settings.

6. When finished, click the white X to close the PDF Print Preview window.

1. In the Students menu, click Communication.

2. Click the Inbox tab.

All incoming messages are displayed along with the sender's name and their associated school. The number of unread messages displays next to the sender's name.

3. Click the sender's name to open the messages.

Click the pencil icon to create a message from the Compose tab.

Once selected, all incoming and outgoing messages between you and the selected user displays. The date and time is displayed along with all messages.

The icons next to the messages determined the message status and allow various tasks.

The clock icon indicates that the message is processing.

The envelope icon determines the email was sent.

The paperclip displays for attachments. These files can be clicked and downloaded/viewed.

The x icon displays when a message couldn't be sent; the reason the message wasn't sent displays when you hover over the x icon, normally because No Contact Information was found. This means the message was delivered to the recipient's Focus Inbox but the recipient was not notified otherwise due to invalid contact data.

The phone icon displays when the phone call was sent.

The message bubble icon displays when a SMS was sent.

4. Click the reaction icon to select a reaction; options include thumbs up, heart, smile, big smile, and celebration.

5. Click the flag icon next to incoming messages if the message is inappropriate and should be flagged as such.

In the pop-up window, click Confirm.

Once flagged the message is removed and replaced with "Message Content Flagged."

a. Click the red flag icon for more options, such as Add Referral (for students), View Message, and Remove Flag.

i. Click Add Referral to add a referral via Add Referral for students. In the pop-up window, select the applicable options and follow the steps for adding a referral to complete the process. Then, click Save.

ii. Click View Message to display the message while keeping it flagged.

iii. Click Remove Flag to remove the flag from the message.

6. Click the eye icon to select Mark Unread to mark the message as unread.

Once marked as unread, the message displays as unread and the eye icon is bolded.

7. To respond to incoming messages, select the Email or SMS tab depending on your permissions and district settings to decide how to respond to the message. Select the Email tab to reply via Communication and send an email or select SMS to reply via Communication and send a text message. For details regarding sending an SMS, see Attaching an SMS.

8. Type your message in the provided text area for either an Email or an SMS. There are a variety of tools available, including text formatting and the ability to add links and images.

9. Option 1: Click Send to send the message right away.

9. Option 2: Click the clock icon to schedule the message to be sent at a later date and time.

a. Select the Send Date using the calendar pop-up and enter the send time in the provided text box.

b. If the message is Recurring, select the recurring method from the pull-down, such as Daily, Weekly, Monthly, or Annually.

c. Click Save.

Once scheduled, you can view the message in the Scheduled tab.

9. Option 3: Click the pencil icon to continue writing the message from the Compose tab where additional options are available, if needed.

10. To move the thread of messages from the selected student, user, or parent, click the Archive icon. Once clicked, the messages are removed from your Inbox and placed into the Archive folder.

Archiving moves the conversation to the Archive tab, removing it from the Inbox for both the staff member and the student/parent recipient.

Admin to Admin Conversations: Archiving these conversations will only remove them from the Inbox of the user who archived them, not both parties.

Admin to Teacher Conversations: Archiving these conversations will only remove them from the Inbox of the user who archived them, not both parties.

Admin/Teacher to Parent/Student Conversations: Archiving these conversations will remove them from the Inbox of both parties, removing the ability for Parents or Students to continue the conversation until the Admin/Teacher unarchives or begins a new conversation with the Parent/Student.

If needed, from the Archive tab, you can click the Unarchive icon to reinstate the messages to their original tab; in this case, the Inbox tab.

1. In the Students menu, click Communication.

2. Click the Sent tab.

All outgoing messages are displayed along with the recipient's name and associated school.

3. Click the recipient's name to open the messages.

Click the pencil icon to create a message from the Compose tab.

Once selected, all outgoing and incoming messages between you and the selected user display. The date and time is displayed along with all messages.

The icons next to the messages determined the message status and allow various tasks.

The clock icon indicates that the message is processing.

The envelope icon determines the email was sent.

The paperclip displays for attachments. These files can be clicked and downloaded/viewed.

The x icon displays when a message couldn't be sent; the reason the message wasn't sent displays when you hover over the x icon, normally because No Contact Information was found. This means the message was delivered to the recipient's Focus Inbox but the recipient was not notified otherwise due to invalid contact data.

The phone icon displays when the phone call was sent.

The message bubble icon displays when a SMS was sent.

4. Click the flag icon next to incoming messages if the message is inappropriate and should be flagged as such.

In the pop-up window, click Confirm.

Once flagged the message is removed and replaced with "Message Content Flagged."

a. Click the red flag icon for more options, such as Add Referral (for students), View Message, or Remove Flag.

i. Click Add Referral to add a referral via Add Referral for students. Follow the steps for adding a referral to complete the process.

ii. Click View Message to display the message while keeping it flagged.

iii. Click Remove Flag to remove the flag from the message.

5. To send additional messages, select the Email or SMS tab depending on your permissions and district settings to decide how to send the message. Select the Email tab to send the message via Communication and send an email or select SMS to send the message via Communication and send a text message. For details on sending SMS, see Attaching an SMS.

6. To send additional messages, type your message in the provided text area. There are a variety of tools available, including text formatting and the ability to add links and images.

7. Option 1: Click Send to send the message right away.

7. Option 2: Click the clock icon to schedule the message to be sent at a later date and time.

a. Select the Send Date using the calendar pop-up and enter the send time in the provided text box.

b. If the message is Recurring, select the recurring method from the pull-down, such as Daily, Weekly, Monthly, or Annually.

c. Click Save.

Once scheduled, you can view the message in the Scheduled tab.

7. Option 3: Click the pencil icon to continue writing the message from the Compose tab where additional options are available, if needed.

8. To move the thread of messages from the selected student, user, or parent, click the Archive icon. Once clicked, the messages are removed from your Sent folder and placed into the Archive folder.

Archiving moves the conversation to the Archive tab, removing it from the Sent folder for both the staff member and the student/parent recipient.

Admin to Admin Conversations: Archiving these conversations will only remove them from the Sent folder of the user who archived them, not both parties.

Admin to Teacher Conversations: Archiving these conversations will only remove them from the Sent folder of the user who archived them, not both parties.

Admin/Teacher to Parent/Student Conversations: Archiving these conversations will remove them from the Sent folder of both parties, removing the ability for Parents or Students to continue the conversation until the Admin/Teacher unarchives or begins a new conversation with the Parent/Student.

If needed, from the Archive tab, you can click the Unarchive icon to reinstate the messages to their original tab; in this case, the Sent tab.

1. In the Students menu, click Communication.

2. Click the Scheduled tab.

Scheduled messages are displayed with the date for which they are scheduled along with One-time / Sent, Recurring, or Scheduled icons, and the Subject of the message.

3. Click the scheduled message to view details and make changes.

Click the pencil icon to create a message from the Compose tab.

Once selected, the scheduled message displays. Edit the message, as needed. For details, see Composing Messages.

4. Once all edits have been made, click Reschedule to reschedule the message for a different time and/or date, or click Save to apply the changes to the already set time and date.

Scheduling messages includes information on when the message will be sent. For one time messages, the information displays either when the message will send or when it was sent. Recurring messages describe when they will be sent (ex. Weekly on Friday 5:30 am), the next day they will be sent (if any) and the end date (if any) which has expired the message or will in the future.

1. If a scheduled message encounters an error, an Alert displays on the Portal. Click the Alert to view details about the error.

2. The scheduled message displays. Click the Dismiss button to dismiss the error and cancel sending the message.

3. Click Confirm in the pop-up window to dismiss the error.

1. In the Students menu, click Communication.

2. Click the Drafts tab.

Drafted messages are displayed with the date and time saved and the type of message, such as Email.

3. Click the drafted message to view details and make changes.

Click the pencil icon to create a message from the Compose tab.

Once selected, the drafted message displays. Complete composing your message and prepare to send the message or save it as draft again. For details, see Composing Messages.

1. In the Students menu, click Communication.

2. Click the Archive tab.

3. To view the thread of archived messages, click on the message.

You have all of the same information and abilities on the Archive tab as you do on the Inbox and Sent tab including the ability to flag messages and reply to messages. See the Inbox and/or Sent section for details.

4. If needed, you can click the Unarchive icon to reinstate the messages to their original tab; in this case, the Sent tab.

If you send a message or reply when a message is in the Archive folder, the messages are automatically unarchived and moved back to the correct folder.

a. To send additional messages or reply to sent messages, select the Email or SMS tab depending on your permissions and district settings to decide how to respond to the message. Select the Email tab to reply via Communication and send an email or select SMS to reply via Communication and send a text message. For more details on SMS, see Attaching an SMS.

1. In the Students menu, click Communication.

2. Select the Compose tab, Scheduled tab, or the Drafts tab depending on where you need to import recipients.

3. If you selected the Scheduled or Drafts tab, select the applicable scheduled message or draft.

4. Click Import Recipients.

5. From the pop-up window, click Upload CSV of Recipients.

6. Select the CSV from your computer, and click Open.

7. In the Import CSV - Column Setup pop-up window, select the correct column headers from the provided pull-downs to match the data from the file to the system.

8. If your file contains a header, select the Header check box.

9. Click Submit.

All imported data populates populates in the Imported Recipients window.

10. Click Done.

1. In the Students menu, click Communication.

2. Select the Compose tab, Scheduled tab, or the Drafts tab depending on where you need to view or delete recipients.

3. If you selected the Scheduled or Drafts tab, select the applicable scheduled message or draft.

4. Click Import Recipients.

All imported recipients are displayed in the Imported Recipients pop-up window.

5. Click the delete button (red minus sign) to delete a single entry/recipient or click Delete All to delete all imported recipients.

a. In the confirmation pop-up window, click OK.

6. To upload more recipients, click Upload CSV of Recipients and follow the steps explained in Importing Recipients.

7. Click Done.

1. In the Students menu, click Communication.

2. Select the Compose tab, Templates tab, Announcements tab, Scheduled tab, or the Drafts tab depending on where you need to attach the files.

3. Select the applicable message, template, announcement, scheduled message, or draft.

4. Click the File tab to scan or drag and drop files to be attached. Once attached, the File displays with the message for the user to download. If an email is also attached, the file will be sent as an attachment in the email as well.

5. Option 1: Drag and drop the file from your computer to the file area.

5. Option 2: Click Choose a file or drag it here to select and download the file from your computer. Select the file, and click Open.

5. Option 3: Click Scan to scan a file from your scanner directly to Focus. Select the Scanner, Color, Format, etc., then click Scan.

5. Option 4: Click Take Photo to upload a file using your computer camera. Once your camera loads, click Take Photo.

6. Once a file is attached, click the download icon to download the file to your computer or click the delete icon to file.

To remove the files from the message, click the X next to File.

1. In the Students menu, click Communication.

2. Select the Compose tab, Templates tab, Announcements tab, Scheduled tab, or the Drafts tab depending on where you need to attach the SMS.

3. Select the applicable message, template, announcement, scheduled message, or draft.

4. Click SMS to attach an SMS text.

• For Student Profiles, the SMS is sent to the student's primary phone number on their Address card where SMS enabled.
• For Parent Profiles, the SMS is sent to the custodial contact with the SMS flag.
• For User Profiles, the SMS is sent to the users’ phone number.

If attaching an SMS to an announcement, when the announcement becomes active, the SMS text is sent to the selected profile users. This option is only displayed for users with the SMS profile permission enabled.

5. Select the Emergency check box to send an emergency text message if specifc system preferences are enabled that disallow users from sending notifications during specific time frames. Note: The system will still respect the SMS flag on the student/contact record. Recipients who have Unsubscribed from SMS messages will NOT receive the emergency SMS.

6. Type the SMS in the provided text box.

7. Click Insert Field to insert select fields from Focus into the SMS, such as student demographic information.

a. The pop-up defaults to Student Fields; click User Fields to insert Focus fields applicable to users, and click Finance Fields to insert Fixed Assets fields.

b. Select the Keep Window Open check box to select multiple fields without closing the pop-up window.

c. Once all fields have been selected, click Done.

8. Click the Short URL Link icon to insert a shortened link into your SMS message. A short URL takes a long web address and makes it more compact, saving character space in your message. When recipients receive the SMS, they can click the short link to open the full webpage or content you're sharing.

A short URL takes a long web address and makes it more compact, saving character space in your message.

For example, instead of sending:

https://www.fldoe.org/academics/standards/subject-areas/language-arts/

Your message will include a short link like:

https://tinyurl.com/abc123

When recipients receive the SMS, they can click the short link to open the full webpage.

Below is an example of the tiny URL that's sent.

9. Click the Find and replace icon to search for specific text and replace it with different text.

10. Click the Undo icon to undo any recent changes to the text. Click the Redo icon to reverse a change made as a result of clicking Undo.

To remove the SMS from the message, click the X next to SMS.

1. In the Students menu, click Communication.

2. Select the Compose tab, Templates tab, Announcements tab, Scheduled tab, or the Drafts tab depending on where you need to attach the call.

3. Select the applicable message, template, announcement, scheduled message, or draft.

4. Click the Call tab to type a text-to-speech message or record a template call to be attached to the message.

5. Select the Emergency check box to send an emergency phone call regardless of the enabled Blocked feature on the student/contact record and/or the system preferences enabled disallowing users from sending calls during specific time frames. Note: The system will still respect the Callout flag on the student/contact record.

6. Caller ID phone numbers must be set up via Settings > Caller ID Phone Numbers in order for the call tab to be available to you and other users. Once applied, they will display on the Call tab upon attaching a call to a message.

If only one number is setup or available to you, the title of the phone number displays next to Caller ID, as shown below.

If more than one number is setup and available to use, a Caller ID pull-down displays from which you can select the Caller ID you wish to use.

To remove the Call from the message, click the X next to Call.

Setting 1: Messages are automatically translated based on parents' and students' Preferences > Display Options > Language.

Setting 2: Messages are automatically translated based on the Primary Student Language set in Student Info.

The specific language field depends on the field set as the student's primary language via Setup > Translations > Change Default Language Field.

As shown below, when the message is sent, the message is automatically translated to the Language selected by the parent/student or set as the student's primary language; in this case, French.

The messages previously sent are in English before the parent set their preferred language to French.

Parents and students can click View Original to view the original message sent in English.

a. The original displays. To view the translation again, click View Translation.

1. In the Students menu, click Communication.

2. Click the applicable tab, such as Templates, Announcements, or Drafts.

3. Select the applicable template, announcement, or draft from the list.

4. Click Edit Translations to manually translate the message into another language.

5. Select the language of translation from the provided pull-down.

6. Enter the message to be translated in the provided text area.

7. Click Add Language to add another language of translation.

8. Select the second language from the provided pull-down.

9. Enter the message to be translated in the provided text area.

10. Add as many language as needed. To delete added languages, click the X next to the selected language.

11. Click Save.

1. In the Students menu, click Communication.

2. Click the Settings tab.

3. Select the Remove from Messaging Search check box to remove yourself from the staff recipients pull-down when composing new messages. Users still have the ability to respond to your messages but cannot generate new messages to you when the check box is selected.

4. Select the Include Student and User names/ID On Each PDF Page check box to add the staff/student name and ID to the header of every printed page.

5. Select the Default Table View check box to view the Templates, Announcements, Polls, and Sign Ups data in the table view by default. Without this setting enabled, the applicable tabs default to and open in List View.

6. Select the Opt In for Push Notifications on all messages check box to receive push notifications for every message sent to you via the mobile app.

7. Select the Opt Out of Email Notifications check box to opt out of receiving notifications for new messages.

8. Select the Enable Allow Replies by default check box to make the Allow Replies option default to active on the Compose screen, while still allowing users to manually disable it for individual messages before sending. However, if Send as District or Send as School is selected, the Allow Replies option will remain disabled.

9. Click the Email Signature tab to create and save your personal email signature that will be added to the end of your sent messages.

a. Type your signature in the provided text area. There are a variety of tools available, including text formatting and the ability to add links and images.

10. Click the SMS Signature tab to create and save your personal SMS signature that will be added to the end of your sent text messages.

a. Type your signature in the provided text area.

11. If you will be out of the office and want to set up a message that will be sent automatically in response to incoming messages during this period, enter the Out of Office: Start Date and End Date in the provided text boxes.. Then, enter the message in the text area.

12. Enter a Call Intro in the provided text box to create a brief introductory message that plays before a voice call. This introduction ensures the recipient immediately knows the call is official and alerts them as to where the call is coming from, even if the voicemail cuts off part of the main message.

• When Enabled: Every TTS (text-to-speech) or recorded voice message begins with the Call Intro text (e.g., This is a message from [School District Name]).
• When Disabled: The call begins directly with the message content entered by the sender.

13. Enter an SMS District Abbreviation in the provided text box to define the short identifier that appears at the beginning of SMS messages. This abbreviation helps recipients quickly recognize messages as official communications from the district. The abbreviation will appear on every SMS message sent through Communication, regardless of whether the message originates from a district-level user or an individual school user.

• Keep the abbreviation concise (e.g., OCPS, BAYDIST, MONROE).
• The abbreviation displays automatically in outgoing SMS messages, before the message body.
• Changing this value updates the abbreviation for all future texts but does not affect messages already sent.

14. Click Save.

1. In the Students menu, click Communication.

2. Click the Settings tab.

3. In the Teacher Attendance Alerts section, enter the Title of the attendance reminder.

4. Click Edit to create an attendance reminder message to be sent out when the selected criteria is met.

a. Enter the Email (Subject and message) in the provided text editor. There are a variety of tools available, including text formatting, insert fields, and the ability to add links and images.

b. Attach Files, generate an SMS, and/or Call by clicking the corresponding tabs.

c. Click Done to close the pop-up when your message is complete.

5. Select the Schools for which this attendance reminder applies.

6. Select the Periods from the pull-down for which this attendance reminder applies. The pull-down defaults to All.

7. Enter the Minutes Threshold in the text box to determine how many minutes should pass after the period has started before the attendance reminder is sent to the teacher.

8. Select the Letterhead template that you'd like applied to your message from the pull-down, if applicable.

9. Enter the Start Date and End Date to determine when this attendance alert should be active. You can enter the Start Date only until this attendance alert should no longer be used; at which point, you can enter an End Date.

10. Press the Enter/Return key to add the attendance alert and click Save.

Click Mass Update to edit multiple columns at a time.

a. Select the Column to be updated from the pull-down, such as Periods.

b. Enter or select the Value.

c. Click Update.

d. All updated fields are highlighted in yellow. Click Save to apply changes.

1. In the Students menu, click Communication.

2. Click the Settings tab.

3. In the Student Attendance Alerts section, enter the Title of the attendance-based message.

4. Click Edit to create an attendance message to be sent out when the selected criteria is met.

a. Enter email's Subject and the Email (message) in the provided text editor. There are a variety of tools available, including text formatting, insert fields, and the ability to add links and images.

b. Attach Files, generate an SMS, and/or Call by clicking the corresponding tabs.

c. Click the white X to close the pop-up when your message is complete.

5. Select the Type to determine the frequency of the message.

Select Period to look at the student's period attendance, this will be run as often as the scheduled job is set. Period attendance triggers an alert for each period that meets the attendance criteria.

Select Daily to look at the student's daily attendance, this can be ran once a day. Daily attendance triggers an alert when the daily attendance code has been generated that meets the attendance criteria.

6. Select the Half Days check box if the students have a half day attendance; when enabled, the calls go out for half day attendance. The option only appears when the selected school has the attendance calculated by minutes and the minutes for half day present is less than the minutes for full day present.

7. Select the Attendance Codes that drive/trigger the message, such as Absent.

8. Select the Schools for which this job will be run.

9. Select the applicable Grade Levels from the pull-down if you need to limit the attendance messages to select grade levels. The pull-down defaults to All.

10. Select the applicable Periods from the pull-down if you are creating attendance messages based on Period attendance not Daily attendance (selected from the Type pull-down).

11. Select the Letterhead template that you'd like applied to your message from the pull-down, if applicable.

12. Enter the Start Date and End Date the job should run to send out this attendance message.

13. Enter the Send Time the scheduled job should run in order to send out this attendance message.

14. To ensure messages are not sent out beyond a specified time, enter an End Time in the provided text box.

15. Select the Once Per Day check box to ensure the message is only sent out once a day regardless of how many times the criteria is met. I.e. The Once Per Day check box sends one notification once per day per student. The check box is enabled for selection when Period is selected as the Type.

16. Press the Enter/Return key to add the attendance message, and click Save.

Click Mass Update to edit multiple columns at a time.

a. Select the Column to be updated from the pull-down, such as Schools.

b. Enter or select the Value.

c. Click Update.

d. All updated fields are highlighted in yellow. Click Save to apply changes.

Attendance messages are sent when the scheduled job "Communication Queue" is run. See Scheduled Jobs for more information.

Attendance-based messages can be edited as needed by clicking any of the fields and making changes including the Edit button to edit the attached Email, Files, SMS, and Calls.

1. File Requirements: At a minimum, a file with a header row and one column to be mapped to a lookup field is required for the Integration. Optionally, districts can include additional columns in the file that will serve as variables that can be inserted into the Communication Message.

2. Uploaded-Assets Diretory: For each Integration, a new directory will need to be created within uploaded-assets.

Import Files for processing should be uploaded to the directory. When the Communication Queue scheduled job runs and a file is available in the directory, messages will be generated and the results are inserted into the communication_integration_logs table.

The processed file will be moved to {IMPORT_DIRECTORY}/processed/{DATE}/my_file.csv to avoid processing the same file twice.

3. Integration Templates: Communication Integrations use Templates to pull predefined content into the messages generated by the import file. To create an Integration, a Template must first be created.

Navigate to Templates > New Template. Set up an Email, SMS, and/or Call message template that will be sent to the recipients designated in the import file.

Insert Fields as well as Custom Variables from the Import File can be pulled into Messages to generate content specific to the recipient.To populate a variable field from the Import file, insert the Column Header Name in Brackets on the template. For Example:

Import File Sample:

Template Sample: Bus Route {ROUTE} is {VARIABLE_1}

Results:

Recipients matching KWH2 receive → “Bus Route KWH2 is Delayed 20 Minutes”

Recipients matching KAC3 receive → “Bus Route KAC3 is Now on Time”

4. Click the Settings tab.

5. In the Integrations section, enter a Title in the text box.

6. Select the Template with predefined content to be used as the message from the provided pull-down.

7. Select the desired recipient type for the message from the Student Contact Type pull-down. Options include: All Contacts, Once Per Family, Primary Contacts, Student Personal, Students, Students & All Contacts, Students & Primary Contacts, and Teachers Of.

8. Select the Student/User Field used to match on the first column of the imported CSV from the Lookup Field pull-down.

9. Enter the directory to search for CSV import files in the File Directory text box. This location must be within uploaded-assets.

10. Enter the date range in which the Integration should be active in the Start Date and End Date text boxes.

11. Enter the Start Time and End Time in the provided text boxes to determine the time in which messages are sent; messages will not be sent before the designated start time or after the end time specified.

12. Enter the Expiration Time (Hours) in the provided text box to determine the duration after which communication queue records generated by the integration will expire.

13. Press the Enter or Return key to save the integration, then click Save.

1. In the Students menu, click Communication.

2. Click the Settings tab.

3. In the Caller ID Phone Numbers section, enter a Title for the phone number to be used as Caller ID. Note: The Title is for internal use only and doesn't display as caller information.

4. Enter the Phone Number that will display as Caller ID for outgoing phone calls.

5. You can determine the Schools that should have access to the Public caller ID phone number from the corresponding pull-down. If no schools are selected from the pull-down, all schools will have access.

6. Select the Student Attendance check box to allow users to use this caller ID for Student Attendance Alerts. The Student Attendance caller ID can be used to send student attendance alerts using the caller ID tied to the applicable school. Note: Only one phone number can be flagged as the default for Student Attendance.

7. Select the School Default check box to make this number the default number for anyone at the selected school(s). Note: If a user doesn't have any schools selected in their user enrollment record, they will have the district default as their default.

8. Select the District Default check box to make the phone number the default for the entire district. Note: There has to be one number set as the District Default in order to send calls. If you try to add two district default numbers, the most recently added one will be treated as the default.

9. Press the Enter/Return key to add the phone number and click Save.

Once the phone numbers have been added, they will display on the Call tab upon attaching a call to a message.

If only one number is set up or available to the user, the title of the phone number displays next to Caller ID, as shown below.

If more than one number is set up and available to use, a Caller ID pull-down displays from which users can select the Caller ID they wish to use.

1. In the Students menu, click Communication.

2. Click the Settings tab.

3. In the Caller ID Phone Numbers section, click Import.

4. Select the CSV from your computer, and click Open.

5. Select the File includes a header row check box to indicate that the file contains a header row in the file.

6. In the Import CSV pop-up window, select the correct column headers from the provided pull-downs to match the data from the file to the system.

7. Click Import CSV.

All imported data populates populates in the Caller ID Phone Numbers section.

8. Click Save.

The system preference/setting Use Original Text Editor for Communication controls whether your district uses the original text editor or the newly implemented CK Editor for the Communication module via Setup > System Preferences > Default School Preferences > General tab.

When the System Preference is Enabled:

• By default, this preference is enabled for districts that used templates in the Communication module.
• When this preference is enabled, the original text editor remains in use for all communication templates.
• Users can continue using the original text editor without any changes.

When the System Preference is Disabled:

• Once this preference is disabled, the system switches to the new CK Editor for the Communication module.
• All existing communication templates are automatically migrated to use the new editor.
• Once disabled, this preference is removed from the system preferences and cannot be re-enabled.
• Subsequent migrations will update saved templates' HTML to be compatible with the CK Editor.

Enhanced Features of the New CK Editor:

Insert Field Button: Improved functionality for applying styles and selecting fields. Fields can be clicked and dragged within messages.

Enter or select the Schedule Effective Date in the text box to specify the date for which student schedule data should be retrieved. The Schedule Effective Date defaults to today's date. Enter another date to pull schedule information as of that specific date.

Find and Replace: Added to most editors, including SMS, along with undo/redo functionality.

Special Characters Button: Allows quick insertion of special characters, particularly useful for math-related symbols.

Autolink Feature: Automatically converts email addresses into clickable hyperlinks.

Enhanced Table Editing: Tools for adding/removing columns or rows by hovering over the content.

Easy Editing of Hyperlink Text: Options to modify or remove existing hyperlinks.

Highlight Feature: To bring attention to specific content.

Search Filter in Insert Field Pop-up: Helps search for field names in any user category.

Toolbar at Top: Stays at the top when scrolling in the editor.

Click the Import HTML button to import HTML created in another editor for use in your message.

a. Insert or paste the HTML in the provided text box. Then, click Done.

The imported HTML becomes an object within the message, which can be positioned as needed. This feature preserves the original styling of the imported HTML and avoids conversion to CK Editor-approved HTML, which could otherwise alter the formatting. In the Focus Inbox and email delivery, the imported object is rendered as rich text, ensuring the intended styling is maintained.

Upon adding images to messages, you can click the image to utilize the Summernote plugin to enhance image attributes. Click the image to open the attribute menu where you can link images, work with images more effectively within the editor, and enable the inclusion of linked images in communications.

Click the Page Break icon to insert a break that forces content to start on a new page when printed or exported. Useful for separating sections like letters and tables, the break ensures clean pagination and improves formatting for printed communications.

Click the Text alignment icon to Align left, Alight right, Alight center, or Justify text.

• Magic Wand: The Magic Wand empowers you to enhance your text by selecting from a variety of options, including Improve Writing, Make Shorter, Make Longer, Simplifying Language, Summarize, Continue, Professional, or Casual.

The example displayed below is for the following text: "Please be aware of the icoming hurricane and possible school closures during the next 4 days." Make Longer was selected from the Magic Wand.

• Once the Magic Wand is applied, the AI Assistant opens in a new pop-up window, allowing you to review the changes made to your text. You can choose to Replace the existing text, Insert Below original text, or Try Again for a rewrite.

• You can click the Copy button to copy the new text.
• Ask AI to edit or generate a new response based on additional factors or information that you suggest in the text box. Then, click the Enter arrow icon.

• Click the gray x to close the AI Assistant pop-up window manually. This pop-up window automatically closes when Replace or Insert Below is selected.

• AI Assistant: The AI Assistant allows you to edit or generate text for your messages. For example, you can ask the AI Assistant to write a message about the Prom dance on May 19, 2025.

• Enter the question, command, or original message text in the provided text box, and click the Enter arrow icon.

• Review the text generated. You can choose to Insert the text into your message, Insert Below original text, or Try Again for a rewrite.

• You can click the Copy button to copy the new text.
• Ask AI to edit or generate a new response based on additional factors or information that you suggest in the text box. Then, click the Enter arrow icon. Note: The AI Assistant doesn't make edits to existing text unless you click Try Again, so be sure the prompt entered is as detailed as possible.

• Click the gray x to manually close the AI Assistant pop-up window. This window automatically closes when Insert or Insert Below is selected.

Communication Short Code Subscriptions

The Communication Platform supports opt-out functionality for SMS messages sent via short code. Recipients can reply STOP (case-insensitive, with or without spaces) to unsubscribe from future short code texts, or reply START to resubscribe.

This process is managed by the Communication Short Code Subscriptions scheduled job, which is only available when Vonage integration is enabled (introduced in version 12.0.92). Each day, the job retrieves inbound SMS replies from Vonage and automatically updates unsubscribe preferences based on the recipient's most recent message.

Unsubscribe status is recorded in the following tables:

• address.unsubscribe
• people_join_contacts.unsubscribe
• gl_contact.unsubscribe

Communication Status Updates

If the phone numbers supplied by recipients are unreachable, there is a form published to that student/parent or user in order to collect their updated contact information. Once completed, the scheduled job collects data regarding the unsuccessful calls and publishes the form completed by the recipients containing updated contact information to the appropriate users. Note: The appropriate forms must be set up via Setup > Application Editor and the forms must be selected in System Preferences > Default School Preferences > General tab from the Call Out System Student Reenrollment Form and Call Out System Parent Reenrollment Form pull-downs.

Note: This scheduled job requires the purchase of the Communication / Call Out System add-on module.

Communication Queue

This scheduled jobs tracks and generates emails throughout the SIS and ERP systems including all messages created using the Communication screen. All emailing is centrally tracked and controlled by the running of this scheduled job. This scheduled job will be installed by default, and set to run every 15 minutes. The timing of this job should not be adjusted or the distribution of emails from Focus will be delayed to end-users.

When the Reply functions are enabled in Communication, Focus allows users to reply to email communication directly from their email. This scheduled job populates users’ inboxes with responses that have been sent directly from emails.

This scheduled job locates all scheduled messages being held in the queue and prepares them to be sent out. This job applies to all scheduled messages created by administrative users and teachers. Scheduled messages will not be sent out without the execution of the Communication Queue scheduled job. Each time the job is set to run, it will send out any messages scheduled for the time at or before the current time of processing. Scheduled messages are held in the Scheduled tab. This scheduled job also sends all Attendance messages set up from the Settings tab in the Attendance section. Emails are sent out when the message is scheduled; however, calls and text messages still respect the “Do Not Send Calls, SMS Messages or Push Notifications Before This Time” and the “Do Not Send Calls, SMS Messages or Push Notifications After This Time” system preferences set via Setup > System Preferences > Default School Preferences > General. Note: The Communication Queue job replaces the old Phone Communication Processing job present in version 11.

This scheduled job must be run in order to send push notifications.

Messages sent to fewer than 1,000 recipients will have a communication queue priority of 100, while messages with 1,000 or more recipients will have a priority of 50. This ensures that smaller messages are processed first when the job runs. Messages sent with the emergency option selected will continue to have a priority of -1.

2-Way SMS Messaging

Districts can now enable 2-way SMS, allowing recipients (parents, students, staff) to reply directly to SMS messages. Replies will automatically appear in the sender’s Focus inbox, improving communication flow and message management.

• SMS messages that do not allow replies will continue to be delivered from a short code. (70656)
• SMS messages that allow replies will be delivered from one of up to 10 dedicated 10DLC phone numbers assigned to the district.

Improved SMS Opt In/Out Tracking

SMS Opt-out status is automatically pulled back into Focus and updates the corresponding contact record:

• When a recipient replies STOP to an SMS message, Focus will automatically select the Unsubscribe flag for the contact, preventing future SMS messages from being sent.
• If the recipient replies START, the Unsubscribe flag will be removed, and SMS messages will resume.

This ensures that SMS subscription preferences are consistently reflected in Focus--no manual updates required.

SMS Link to View Full Message

SMS messages sent through Focus that exceed 160 characters are automatically trimmed and include a secure link for recipients to view the full message content. This ensures critical information is still accessible, even when character limits are exceeded.

• SMS messages longer than 160 characters will be truncated for delivery, with a system-generated link appended to the end of the message.
• Recipients can click the provided link to view the entire message content on a secure webpage.
• The complete message is also accessible through the Inbox tab.
• Public URL shorteners (e.g., TinyURL, bit.ly ) are not permitted for use in SMS messages, ensuring consistency and security.
• No additional action is required by the sender--this functionality is automatically applied when the SMS character limit is exceeded.

New Scheduled Job

A new scheduled job, “Communication Short Code Subscriptions” was added, available when Vonage integration is enabled. The job processes inbound SMS messages from Vonage, specifically handling the “START”/“STOP” commands, and updates unsubscribe flags accordingly in the address, people_join_contacts, and gl_contact tables.

New SMS and Call Settings

Two new settings, driven by profile permissions (Users > Profiles > Students tab > Communication section), are available in Communication > Settings to help personalize outbound messages:

• SMS District Abbreviation: This abbreviation will be automatically inserted at the start of all SMS messages sent by the district, helping recipients quickly recognize who the message is from.
• Call Intro: A customizable audio message that plays at the start of all outbound calls from the district. This helps ensure the message is heard in full, especially when reaching voicemail systems that may otherwise cut off the beginning of the call.

Prioritized Staff Contact Log

Focus prioritizes the User Contact Log when determining the phone number used for staff SMS and calls. The Contact Log allows phone numbers to be associated with specific delivery flags: Callout, Blocked, SMS, and Unsubscribe. This update ensures that staff members' preferred phone numbers and preferences are honored when sending SMS messages or making phone calls. See Users > User Info > Contacts for more details.