Is it reallythe school?

How your school really contacts you

The best protection is knowing what real school messages look like. Most schools use a small number of official channels:

• The official school app or parent portal. This is where you see grades, attendance, lunch balances and fees. If a message is real, you will usually see the same information when you open the app yourself.
• Calls, texts and emails from the school's known numbers and addresses, which you can check on the school website.
• Paper notes and the school website for closures and big announcements.

What your school will not do:

• Ask for your password, a sign-in code or your child's password.
• Ask you to pay with gift cards, wire transfers or cryptocurrency.
• Threaten that your child will be punished or go without lunch unless you pay within minutes.

How to check any message: do not use the link, phone number or reply option in the message. Instead:

• Step 1 — Pause. Take a breath. A real school problem can wait ten minutes.
• Step 2 — Open the official app or portal yourself, from your home screen or a bookmark.
• Step 3 — Call the front office using the number on the school website. Type the website address yourself; do not search from the message.
• Step 4 — Report. Tell the front office about the fake message so they can warn other families.

Write these down now and keep them on the refrigerator: the name of your school's official app, the front office phone number from the school website, and the name of a staff member you can ask, such as the office manager or your child's teacher.