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District to adopt ParentSquare as single communication tool; board reviews updated staff-student boundaries policy
Summary
District principals praised ParentSquare during public comment and administrators told the Mesa Public Schools Governing Board the district will deploy ParentSquare as its single staff-family communication platform beginning in July.
Several speakers and administrators during the meeting highlighted a new district communication platform and an updated staff-student boundaries policy.
Casey Baxter, principal of Franklin Accelerated Academy East Campus, praised ParentSquare after his school joined the district pilot in January. He told the board ParentSquare "allows for the 2 way communication enabling me to reach directly out to parents" and that the platform has helped schedule parent-teacher conferences and protect teacher privacy on field trips.
Later in the meeting, a district leader said ParentSquare will become the district's sole communication tool beginning in July. Superintendent Dr. Forliss told the board, "beginning in July, we will be implementing Parent Square only. That will be the only communication device between staff and students." District staff said the change is intended to protect student and staff data, reduce use of unapproved third-party apps that bind student data, and provide district-wide monitoring capabilities.
Board members also held a first reading of a revised Policy 4202 (staff-student boundaries). Discussion centered on a proposed exception that would allow staff to be alone with a student "when the student's dignity or well-being requires discretion" and on tightening language to limit staff use of non-district-approved technologies. Several board members asked for clearer examples of the exceptions. Staff explained the privacy language was requested by health services to permit limited private interactions in health offices (for example, administering certain medications) and that school counselors and similar roles are routine exceptions provided in the policy.
Board members asked for more precise statutory and operational language and praised staff and employee input in redrafting the policy. Dr. Forliss and board members said the combination of ParentSquare implementation and the policy changes aim to protect student privacy and standardize acceptable teacher–family communications across the district.
Ending
The board conducted a first reading of Policy 4202 and did not vote on it; administrators said they will continue refining the draft with input from employees and return it for final consideration. ParentSquare implementation was announced as a district roll-out beginning in July.
