By Stephanie Hinds
Our rural school district operates on a single campus, yet coordinating communication between school and home remained a challenge. With about 1,500 students from kindergarten through grade 12, we had relied on a mix of tools: teachers adopted disparate apps on their own, we distributed newsletters, maintained a website, and used One Call Now for automated community messages. Parents told us they either felt overwhelmed by the volume of messages or unsure where to find reliable information.
Recognizing the need for a secure, centralized platform that could also integrate with social channels, we evaluated the market and chose a reputable solution—ParentSquare—in the spring of 2019. We later added StudentSquare to support direct messaging and information sharing between students and staff, including teachers and coaches.
As with any district-wide technology rollout, our aim was to extract maximum value from our school-home communication platform. Below are five practical steps that helped us streamline communication, strengthen family engagement, and support student success.
Establish clear protocols before you begin
Set expectations for when and how messages should be sent. For example, avoid routine communications after 8 p.m. or over weekends unless it’s an emergency. Simple rules like respecting family time—our district follows an 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. guideline—reduce notification fatigue and build trust in your messaging system. Decide these boundaries as a team so staff understand professional norms and families know what to expect.
Keep students at the center of every decision
Our primary mission is student learning and well-being. A communication platform is a tool to amplify the work of classroom teachers, not replace it. It helps teachers provide timely, actionable feedback and coordinate supports that promote student growth. Use your platform to reinforce instructional goals, share academic progress, and direct families to resources so each child receives consistent support.
Leverage the platform to monitor attendance
Consistent attendance is a major driver of student achievement. Our district’s attendance has remained strong across the period leading up to and following the COVID-19 pandemic, and the communication platform played a meaningful role. When a student is absent, parents can notify us quickly through the app. That two-way communication allows staff to respond, arrange missed work, or coordinate outreach and support. Prompt messaging makes it easier to identify patterns and intervene early on chronic absenteeism.
Give families control over notification preferences
People receive more digital messages than ever. Allowing parents and guardians to select how and when they receive communications reduces frustration and increases engagement. Our platform lets families choose text, email, or app notifications and offers a daily digest option that consolidates updates into a single evening message. Emergency alerts continue to deliver immediately, ensuring critical information reaches families without delay.
Extend the platform beyond teachers and administrators
A district communication system is useful across many functions. We use our platform for transportation updates—informing families when buses are delayed or routes change due to weather—as well as for athletics, extracurriculars, and school events. Centralizing these notifications helps parents find the right information quickly and reduces duplicated effort across departments.
Do your homework before choosing a vendor
We selected our platform after thorough research and conversations with other districts using the same product. A reliable technology partner matters because challenges inevitably arise during implementation. Having experienced support made a difference, and our rollout proceeded smoothly—even during the disruption of the pandemic. Prioritize vendors with strong customer service, scalability, and clear data security practices when evaluating options.
About the author
Stephanie Hinds is Director of Curriculum and Instruction at Brookville Local Schools in Brookville, Ohio.
This article was originally published by The Learning Counsel, a research institute and news media hub focused on the transition to digital curriculum and the evolving landscape of educational technology.