Configuring Beacon Settings

After deploying the GoGuardian extensions and creating your deployment, the next step is to sign in to Beacon to configure Beacon's settings. Only Super Users and users with Super Counselor permissions will be able to manage these settings.

Beacon Settings Checklist:

1. Add Users to Beacon
2. Set School Hours
3. Alert Preferences
4. Notification Preferences(Staff Notifications)
5. Configure Escalation List (Staff Notifications)
6. Add Custom Emergency Contact Numbers
7. Complete your Beacon profile
8. Enable Parent Notifications (Optional)
9. Enable Student Messaging (Optional) 

 
Add Users to Beacon

In order to add a user to Beacon, the user must be given permissions to Beacon by a Super User within Org Management. For more information on Beacon Roles and Permissions, see our article here.

For each new user: 

1. Type in an email or name in the search box as it appears in Org Management and select the appropriate user.
2. Click Add User to the right of the search field.
3. Configure any additional information.
4. Click Add User at the bottom of the page

Once added, you can send them a notification email that their account is now active.

Set School Hours

Define your School Hours here to ensure that notifications are sent during this time frame. You can also set weekend hours if applicable.

Settings within Staff Notifications, Parent Notifications, and Student Messaging are dependent on the School Hours listed here, and further configuration for after-school notifications for these groups can be found within those sections.

Setting School Hours

1. Set your school hours (start and end times).
2. (Optional) Enable Weekend Reporting and set weekend school hours.
3. Set appropriate timezone.
4. Click Save Changes.

Alert Preferences

Customize your Beacon dashboard by disabling alerts for certain phases, which means no alert cards will populate on the dashboard and no notifications by email or text will be generated for that phase.  By default, all phases will be toggled on. Beacon is defaulted to keep all phases toggled on. Active Planning alerts cannot be disabled, but all other phase alerts can be individually disabled to fit your school's needs. 

Note:  This feature is unavailable on Beacon Starter since it only generates Active Planning alerts

Changing Alert Preferences

1. Toggle on/off the phases that your staff would like to have alert cards generated for.
2. At the bottom of the page click Save Changes.

Notification Preferences (Staff Notifications)

Designate which alert phases you would like staff to receive notifications about.  If a phase is toggled on, staff will receive notifications via email and optional text message.  By default, all phases will be toggled on. Notifications for the Active Planning phase will always be on and cannot be disabled. 

Note:  This feature is unavailable on Beacon Starter, as Beacon Starter only generates Active Planning alerts.

Changing Staff Notification Preferences

1. Toggle on/off the phases that your staff should be notified about.
2. At the bottom of the page click Save Changes.

Configure Escalation List (Staff Notifications)

The Staff Notifications section contains the Escalation List and its options. The Escalation List is a notification system designed to evoke a quick response when an alert is generated and a student needs help. 

Escalation List - The list of users who will receive email and text notifications (optional), and the order in which they will be notified of new alerts. Only users with access to Beacon may be added to the Escalation List.   

Note:  For Beacon Starter only one user may be added to the Escalation List.

Interval Time - A user's window of opportunity to respond to an alert before Beacon notifies the next person on the Escalation List. 

After School Notifications - When enabled, email and text message notifications will be sent during and after school hours. When this setting is disabled, emails and text message notifications will only be sent to staff during school hours defined in the School Hours section. 

How it works - When a new alert is generated, the user in position 01 will receive an email notification (and text message, if enabled). If that user does not respond to the alert by taking an action on the alert card within the selected interval time, Beacon will send a notification to the next user on the list. This process is repeated up to 5 times or until a user resolves the alert. 

Add Custom Emergency Contact Numbers

Update Guardian Contact Information - Send a request to your Super User to update student information and guardian contact information. Super Users can bulk add and update parent and guardian contact information at manage.goguardian.com. 

Local Authorities - Add your local authority's name and non-emergency phone number.

Hotline - If you're required to notify a self-harm hotline, add the information here.

Local Authority and Hotline contact information will readily available on each Alert Details report for quick access. 

Complete Your Beacon Profile

Navigate to Your Beacon Profile to modify your name, email address, and cell phone number. You can also view your account's Beacon permissions and configure your preferred notification format for Escalation List notification.

Enable Parent Notifications (Optional)

In some cases, it may be preferable to send alert email notifications directly to a student's parents or guardians outside of normal school hours. When parent notifications are enabled, new alerts will send an email notification directly to a student's registered guardian(s) when outside of your defined school hours. 

Email notifications come with a default message approved by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the American Association of Suicidology. The message can be modified to suit your organization's needs. 

Note: This feature is unavailable on Beacon Starter.

Enable Student Messaging (Optional)

When self-harm related behavior is detected, Beacon can send the student a message directly. Student messaging is off by default, but can easily be enabled.

Once enabled, you can view the default message or edit it with a custom message. You can also configure when student messaging is enabled, either during school, after school, or always. The default message has been approved by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the American Association of Suicidology. 

Messages will appear on the student's device as a Chrome notification, typically in the bottom right corner.