Manage Bell Schedules in EPIC

Quick Reference QR-AE-022 · Audio Enhancement EPIC · Rev 1.1 · Oct 2026

Change one day's bells, ring a bell right now, build or copy a day type, and keep bells quiet during an emergency.

EPIC rings bells from day types. A day type (Normal, Half Day, Assembly, Exams…) is a list of bells with times, sounds and zones. The calendar says which day type each date uses. To change a day, you just give the date a different day type.

Schedule: day types on the left (color-coded, pencil to edit), the school-year calendar on the right, Save at top right.

1️⃣ Change the bells for one day

1. Tap Schedule in the left menu.
2. Tap the date you want to change. A box outlines it. Tap it again to unselect.
3. Tap the day type you want (for example Assembly). The date takes that day type's color.
4. Tap Save (top right).

2️⃣ Ring a bell right now

• Tap Notification and tap START on the bell notification, if your administrator has set one up. It rings everywhere it's programmed to, whatever the schedule says.
• To stop a bell or message that's playing, tap StopAll.

3️⃣ Edit or build a day type (admins)

1. On Schedule, click the pencil next to a day type, or the green + to create one.
2. Set the name and color. The list shows each bell's time, audio, event and zones.
3. Add Bell: name, time (hour, minute, second), audio (bell chime, tone, etc.), and the zones (or Entire School). Optional: a visual message for displays and a Passing Period start/end. Click Save.
4. Click Apply to keep the day type.
5. Make a Copy is the fast way to build a variation, like a two-hour delay from Normal.

Add Bell: time, audio, visual message, associated event, passing period, zones.

A day type's bell list with Add Bell, Make a Copy and Apply.

4️⃣ Keep bells quiet during an emergency (admins, EPIC 3.1+)

1. Settings › Events › Advanced › Edit Events, pick the emergency event (Lockdown, for example).
2. Add Action: Device/Class Type = System, Event Action = enableEmergencySuppress. Add stopAll too if the event should cut off anything already playing.
3. On the event that ends the emergency (usually All Clear), add disableEmergencySuppress so bells come back.

• While suppression is on, EPIC shows a banner and most other events disappear and can't be started. Fire and All Clear always stay available. To keep another event available, uncheck Suppress During Emergency on that event (Advanced › Event Properties).
• Intercom and paging still work. Teacher mics, media and CLAUDIA background music are not muted by suppression; VSC has to set that up separately for the building, so ask your VSC Project Coordinator.

Field tips

• Bell rang at the wrong time? Check the date's day type on the calendar first, then the bell's time (AM/PM) in the day type.
• Bell late or drifting? EPIC's clock comes from NTP: the district's internal NTP server, or by default ntp.ubuntu.com and pool.ntp.org on UDP 123. Ask district IT to make sure the server can reach one (QR-AE-015).

• Bell missing in one area? Check the bell's zones, then in Settings › Map Setup › Zones click the zone and confirm the room is highlighted (QR-AE-010).
• Too loud or quiet? Bells have their own Bells and Notifications Volume in each device's Audio Settings (Settings › Configure for all devices of a type, or the Known Devices pencil for one) (QR-AE-011).

📚 Sources & credits

• Compiled by Brad Roy, VSC Director of Operations
• Audio Enhancement: Single Day Bell Change QSG DC-40666.02 and Immediate Bell QSG DC-40667.02 (older EPIC screens; steps re-checked on EPIC 3.2.5, which now has a Save button); Suppress Bells and Other Events During an Emergency Event DC-41226.1025
• Screenshots: VSC's EPIC 3.2.5 demo server (VSC High School), 10/9/2026; nothing was saved.