District 15 to adopt ParentSquare for family communications; board approves contract

The Palatine District 15 Board of Education approved an agreement Feb. 18 to adopt ParentSquare, a communications platform the district intends to phase in July 2025.

Amaya Gibson, the district’s chief communications officer, said the transition will give teachers, principals and administrators a single, parent‑centric platform for alerts, posts and private chats. Gibson told the board ParentSquare provides automatic translation into multiple languages, a mobile app, classroom‑level messaging, an integrated event calendar and digital forms — features the district said were either not available or required third‑party add‑ons in its previous system.

Gibson said the district negotiated the change so it reduces recurring costs by replacing some paid add‑ons with ParentSquare’s bundled features. If implemented as planned, the current system would sun‑set at the end of the school year and ParentSquare onboarding would begin in July 2025.

Board members asked technical questions about attendance‑integration and training for secretarial staff. Gibson said ParentSquare can integrate with the district’s student information system to allow parents to report absences by text or app and for staff to receive those absence notices directly. She also said ParentSquare provides an implementation “launch kit” with slide decks, posters and training materials for families and staff.

The board approved the ParentSquare agreement on a roll‑call vote (5–0). The board’s consent calendar later included final contract placement and related items.