Wake County Schools to activate Rave notification app Feb. 17 after phased rollout

Wake County Schools' Safety and Security Committee heard on Feb. 11 that the district will begin a phased go‑live for the Rave emergency‑notification app on Feb. 17, following staff training and data integration.

Juan Cortez, director of special operations in the district's security office, told the committee the district has integrated employee contact information from its Oracle system and has been testing the import and notification functions. "We have 8,500 staff members that have signed up through our Oracle system to have their information integrated with Rave, so that they can receive notifications and use the app," Cortez said. He said the district has organized implementation in three phases so that each group includes a mix of high, middle and elementary schools.

The Rave rollout began institutionally in October 2024 and the committee was given a timeline for phased activation next week. Cortez said all nine 911 centers serving the county had been contacted and are ready to monitor the app and provide assistance when the app is activated. He told the committee the district's technical services team tested the employee import and the team decided to delay go‑live briefly to ensure the integration was working correctly.

Committee members asked how staff will opt in and whether the app requires cellular or Wi‑Fi. Cortez said employees enter phone and email information via employee self‑service in Oracle; the district's server synchronizes with Rave every 24 hours. Cortez said downloading the app is not required for staff to receive alerts; staff can receive notifications by text or email if their contact information is in the system. He said the app uses both cellular and Wi‑Fi and will prefer whichever is more reliable on a given device.

Board members asked about earlier pilot feedback and adoption patterns. Scott, a district security staffer who led parts of the rollout, said other districts saw a small initial uptake that increased after real incidents or district outreach. The committee discussed ongoing "office hours" for staff questions and recurring communication reminders so principals can help distribute information to school staff.

The committee also raised technical concerns about cellular congestion during large incidents and asked whether the app's redundancy (Wi‑Fi/cellular) mitigates that. Cortez said the district evaluated several vendors and selected Rave in part because it offered multiple delivery methods.

Ending: Committee members did not vote on any Rave action. Staff said they will monitor adoption, provide weekly office hours for questions and proceed with the Feb. 17 phased go‑live.