Empowering Special Education with Blueink

Bridging the Gap: Simplifying SPED Processes

The Thomasville City Schools' Exceptional Children's Department is committed to maximizing the potential of students with disabilities, ensuring they graduate as independent, productive members of society. Their mission includes providing specially designed instruction, access to the general curriculum, intervention programs, and a full continuum of services in the least restrictive environment. Aligned with the North Carolina Standard Course of Study and Extended Content Standards, the department serves approximately 300 students. Supported by federal and state funding, the district follows North Carolina’s Policies Governing Services for Children with Disabilities, as outlined by the Department of Public Instruction.

Director of Exceptional Student Education (ESE) Dr. Rhoda Gouin oversees a wide range of services for students, including special education, gifted education, and those with 504 plans.

She shared that historically, her department relied heavily on manual processes for documentation and signatures.

“We would just do things manually. We would send papers home that needed to be signed if the parent wasn't there at the meeting, those types of things. So we didn't have anything to do electronically,” she explained.

This method, while familiar, became increasingly challenging with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pandemic brought about a sudden need for remote operations, compelling Rhoda and her team to find a way to secure parent signatures on essential documents without face-to-face interactions. 

Initially, Thomasville City Schools considered DocuSign. However, a general search led them to discover Blueink, leading to a comparative evaluation. 

Why Blueink?

Comparing Blueink with DocuSign, Gouin found Blueink to be a better fit for their needs. 

"For all of the features that were there, the price was much better with Blueink," she noted, highlighting Blueink's straightforward cost structure that is 50% lower than competitors. 

The ease of reaching parents via SMS and the cost-effectiveness of the solution made Blueink the clear choice. Blueink's SMS delivery feature allows for quick movement from document creation to signature, reducing completion time significantly. 

Unlike competitors, Blueink includes SMS in most plans without additional per-message charges, ensuring affordability and efficiency in client communications.

As Gouin elaborated:

"The first important part was that you could send the SMS using Blueink. We have a lot of parents who aren't necessarily going to have a home computer setup, but they have a cell phone and they can text." 

She further noted the importance of reaching parents in multiple ways. 

Achieving Objectives with Blueink

Implementing Blueink has transformed operations within Thomasville City Schools' ESE)department, particularly in maintaining essential services during the pandemic.

Gouin, reflecting on the impact, highlights how Blueink facilitated the continuation of essential special education processes, such as eligibility and Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings.

She underscores the flexibility of Blueink in enabling virtual meetings via Google Meet, which streamlined coordination among team members:

"We still had eligibility meetings. We still had to have IEP meetings. So we needed electronic signatures for that. That's how it started where we could hold our meeting virtually using Google Meet. We could send out and get the signatures from all team members that attended, with everyone receiving a copy and tracking available."

The SMS feature proved invaluable, particularly for reaching parents who might not have access to email.

"Not everybody had email, but being able to send SMS made a big difference. As we got back to school, it helped schedule meetings around parents' lunchtimes, avoiding the need for them to take off work,” the director noted.

The simplicity of Blueink's interface and its integration into existing systems were major advantages. Gouin shares:

“Point and click is very intuitive… it's just very straightforward and easy to use and makes what could be a very cumbersome task a lot easier and very flowing.”

Training and support from Blueink were also top-notch. One of Guoins’s favorite features is the ability to create and use templates, making the process of sending recurring documents more efficient.

A Seamless Integration with Existing Systems

Integrating Blueink with the school's existing systems was a smooth process, enhancing the overall efficiency of the ESE department. Ghouin explains how the system's intuitive design facilitated a seamless transition:

“Point and click is very intuitive to how you would do it, what do I need to do so there's no complex, you have to go here, then you have to have this setting and it's just very straightforward and easy to use and makes what could be a very cumbersome task a lot easier and very flowing.”

Gouin highly recommended Blueink for its responsiveness, ease of use, and efficiency. Her experience underscores the platform's ability to streamline complex processes and enhance overall productivity:

“Blueink is very responsive. It's the ease of use, the ease of setup, adding in your signers. I mean, it's putting in a name and an email so you can easily do those types of things. It's very easy for those receiving it, especially if they're doing it through text message to go through all the steps. It's just simple, easy to use and makes what could be a very cumbersome task of shuffling papers physically back and forth for the need for signature that you can get done in a very quick and efficient manner.”

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