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Survey: Olentangy parents want clearer, more consistent communication; district auditing vendor after delayed weather messages
Summary
A district communication survey found parents value teacher- and school-level updates and want more consistency; district communications staff said an inclement-weather call went out late due to a vendor error and the district will audit tools and consider ParentSquare for messaging.
Olentangy Local officials reviewed results of a districtwide communication survey on Feb. 6 and told the board the district will audit its communication tools after a vendor error delayed the district's inclement-weather phone, text and email message on the morning of the meeting.
Director of communications (presenting as Miss Davis) said the district sent a survey to nearly 25,000 parent emails in PowerSchool and received about 2,300 responses (roughly a 10% response rate). "We received 2,300 survey responses, which is about a 10% response rate," she said, and added that responses represented all schools and roughly equal shares from elementary, middle and high school families.
Survey results showed parents most often use teacher or school emails, school newsletters and PowerSchool for information. Parents told the district they want consistent cadence and clearer, concise messaging: one theme respondents emphasized was that if a Sunday night newsletter is promised, it should arrive Sunday night.
Davis acknowledged the district's automated inclement-weather notification did not meet its 5:30 a.m. goal and that messages went out between about 5:45 a.m. and 6 a.m. "We are very unhappy about that and we worked with our vendor. It was a problem with the vendor and a message that they received at 5 a.m. from another client that caused the system to somewhat self combust," she said. She added the communications team is auditing vendors and tools and is evaluating ParentSquare for mass notification, translation and ADA compliance.
Board members said they appreciate the team's work and noted the survey will inform a communications strategic plan that includes internal and external surveys, advisory groups and analytics. Superintendent Meyer and other board members encouraged the district to continue outreach to non-parent residents who have signed up for district updates and to provide training and consistent guidance to building-level communicators.
Davis said the preferred sources for parents are teachers and school-level channels and the district will focus on streamlining messages by channel (for example, reserving text for urgent safety communications and newsletters for routine events). The communications team plans further internal surveys and to use analytics as a baseline for year-over-year improvement.
