What you need to know
In a Jan. 7 workshop, administrators provided an update on the implementation of ParentSquare, a communication platform made for school districts to communicate with parents and community members via email, text and app communications.
Melinda Brasher, GISD's executive director of community engagement and communications, said the app replaced School Messenger for GISD in summer 2024 and has increased the district's reach when sending messages out to students, parents and staff.
While 100% of district staff and families of students are contactable through ParentSquare, Brasher said the district observed the following opt-in rates for specific means of contact:
- Text messages: 96%
- Email notifications: 84%
- App notifications: 36%
What they're saying
ParentSquare allows two-way communication between parents and staff, Brasher said, and is more effective at communicating with families of students, as the platform automatically translates messages sent from the district based on the language selections made in Skyward, she said.
Skyward is another software platform used by many schools to manage student information, including the language spoken at home.
"[Translating] could hold up communications until somebody was able to translate it, and we were able to get it out the door," Brasher said. "Now ParentSquare does that for us."
This is a "game-changer" for the district, she said, as GISD has had over 30 different languages represented among the families of students.
Did you know?
ParentSquare also ensures that emergency contacts listed in Skyward receive the same notifications that parents do in the case of an emergency or inclement weather, Brasher said.
