Holmdel school officials reported that the district completed a July 1 transfer to the ParentSquare communications platform and has begun training administrators and staff ahead of the school year.

Why it matters: ParentSquare will be the district's primary channel for emailed alerts, sign-ups and secure documents; parents will need an activated account to use some features.

A district speaker updating the board said the district's website has been updated, original video content is being used on school homepages, and administrators have completed platform training. The director of technology sent an activation email to all parents over the summer; officials said “35% of parents have activated their accounts” so far and “only 17% of parents have downloaded the app.”

Officials urged parents to activate accounts and download the white-labeled Holmdel ParentSquare app to receive alerts, sign up for forms and access secure documents. The board said additional trainings will be provided to faculty and staff during professional learning days, and staff will send additional activation reminders to families before school starts.

No board action was required; the item was presented as an informational update and part of routine communications modernization.