LAUSD robocalls have become excessively frequent, some parents say

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- If you have a child in the Los Angeles Unified School District, you're probably receiving quite a few robocalls every week. The calls are designed to keep families informed, but some parents say they have become somewhat excessive.

In an interview with ABC7, Andrew Sarkarati played one of the many voicemails from LAUSD that he has saved on his cellphone.

"Greetings families," the message said. "You are cordially invited to the advisory meeting elections ..."

"It's annoying," Sarkarati said, "But how else are you going to reach people that maybe don't have access to email?"

While he knows robocalls might be the best way to get messages out, Sarkarati and other parents say it can get a little excessive.

"To also be checking my phone, thinking that I'm getting phone calls from my school or LAUSD -- something pertaining to my child that may be an emergency -- it's sometimes an inconvenience," Allison Davis said.

The school district's engagement officer, Antonio Plascencia, says LAUSD officials are mindful of the frequency of messages, and only send them to everyone in the district if it's important -- topics such as elections, the parent portal, volunteering, and special programs.

Since returning to in-person learning after COVID-19, the entire nation has seen record high levels of student absences.

"For most of our messaging, it is targeted to families' interest," Plascencia said in an interview. "We do use data to inform and identify the target population."

Some parents think it would be good to have more options.

"If parents could opt-in for certain categories, because sometimes I'm getting robocalls or texts about something that has nothing to do with my child," said Ali Wigart.

Recipients do have the option to opt out of LAUSD robocalls and texts, but that opt-out is absolute, so the district recommends choosing another form of communication.

"We welcome them to connect with their school site leader," Plascencia said, "to say, 'If I opt out of this messaging, what are the other avenues for me as a parent to continue receiving notices from you?'"

While some will jump at the chance to opt out, others say they'll leave it as-is, to stay as informed as possible.

"If you have the time to listen to it, you can," said Louis Leal. "If it doesn't pertain to you, you can just hang up and move on with your day."

To opt out of future messages, listen for instructions after the voice message, or follow the prompt in the text message.