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Newton County launches "Ready, Set, Go" initiative: free meals, ParentSquare rollout and transportation updates ahead of start of school
Summary
District staff briefed the board on the Ready, Set, Go campaign to prepare families and staff for the 2025'26 year, including a districtwide ParentSquare transition, community eligibility for free meals, bus-tracking app details and mental health resource expansion.
Tracy Blackburn told the Newton County Board of Education that the district's Ready, Set, Go initiative will guide families and staff through preparations for the 2025'26 school year, with a focus on communication, enrollment and student supports.
Why it matters: The rollout affects how families receive school communications, access student data, and obtain meals and support services as school opens.
Blackburn said the district will transition from Remind to ParentSquare as its primary classroom communication tool, and she described ParentSquare as "a robust platform designed to boost family engagement, streamline school wide messaging, and facilitate seamless 2 way communication between parents, guardians, teachers, and school staff." She said parents are required to sign up for ParentSquare this year.
On nutrition, Blackburn announced that all schools will participate in the Community Eligibility Provision for 2025'26, providing free breakfast and lunch to every student without applications. She also described updates to the Infinite Campus Parent Portal and the availability of the My Stop app for real-time bus tracking, with updates every five seconds.
Blackburn said special education staff will be centralized at Palmer Stone to improve family access and that the district will increase signage and expand mental health resources across school buildings to make services easier to find. She invited families to the Parent Connect podcast series starting July 29; the first episode will feature Dr. Robin Cartwright, English language arts program manager with the Georgia Department of Education, discussing new ELA standards.
Board questions: A board member asked whether the ParentSquare transition would cover extracurricular groups and athletics that historically used Remind; Blackburn said she would follow up with the rollout team. Another board member clarified the district's bus inspection and pavement questions related to a construction item; that discussion was handled by facilities staff.
Timing: Blackburn said online registration opened June 23 and in-person assistance is available July 24'August 1. The first day of school was announced as Monday, August 4.
