Case Study: CATCH Prep Charter High School achieves rapid remote-learning rollout and community connection during COVID-19 with SimpleTexting

CATCH Prep Charter High School Uses SMS to Connect With Its Community During COVID-19

CATCH, an urban charter high school in Crenshaw, Los Angeles serving predominantly low-income Black and Latino students, needed a more accessible way to reach students and families when email proved unreliable. The school turned to SimpleTexting, using its SMS/MMS messaging platform (including keywords like CATCHPREP and multimedia messages) to make communications immediate and easy to receive on smartphones.

Using SimpleTexting, CATCH collected phone numbers via the CATCHPREP keyword, sent MMS flyers and grade- or schoolwide alerts, and coordinated Chromebook and Wi‑Fi hotspot pick-ups by SMS so families could confirm time slots. That real-time outreach let the school distribute devices immediately rather than waiting weeks, kept twice-weekly meal distributions organized, and—according to CATCH leadership—helped keep families informed, safe, and even “literally” saved lives during the pandemic.

CATCH

Joshua Arnold

Chief Academic Officer