Clay County School District staff reviewed the rollout of a new Apogee website and the district’s Rooms app at the July 29 board workshop, reporting higher user engagement, thousands of app downloads and a phased training schedule for staff and parents.

Why it matters: district‑managed digital communications are the primary channel for parent outreach and emergency alerts; the board heard plans to prioritize training for principals, coaches and teachers and to produce recorded content for staff who cannot attend in‑person sessions.

District communications staff said the new Apogee site launched in January and compared analytics for January–May 2024 with January–May 2025. Active users rose from 199,000 to 270,000 (a 35% increase), and average engagement time increased from 40 seconds to 90 seconds. The district reported 16,200 total app downloads (11,000 Apple; remaining Android) and said it will continue a campaign to raise parent/guardian activation.

Rooms, the district’s classroom‑to‑guardian communication tool, underwent a soft launch on May 20; district staff said 36% of parents or guardians had activated Rooms accounts and that the vendor’s target is 50% activation. Schools were encouraged to use orientation events, QR codes and registration activities to boost downloads and activation before the school year.

District staff also explained that the mass notification system (Alert) is separate from the app and that parents who do not download the app will still receive emergency alerts via phone or email using contact data in the district’s student information system. Staff emphasized training for principals, athletic directors and classroom teachers so coaches and teachers can create Rooms for teams and classes and automatically pull parent contacts from student records.

On privacy and records: communications staff said Apogee supports ADA compliance (required alt text) and that communications contained in Rooms are subject to public‑records requirements and archiving. Staff said the vendor offers live help for teachers and principals who need assistance.

Ending: the district will continue summer trainings, post recorded tutorials and focus fall outreach on secondary schools where parent engagement typically drops, while keeping the mass‑alert function available to all families regardless of app activation.