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Ashland City Schools rolls out ParentSquare, proposes digital‑citizenship policy and unified branding
Summary
District officials presented ParentSquare adoption data and proposed a digital‑citizenship policy and branding guide, urging staff use of professional emails and administrator access for affiliate pages to protect student privacy and preserve institutional history.
Ashland City Schools presented a formal update on the district’s communications tools and branding at the Nov. 24 board meeting, outlining broad ParentSquare adoption, a proposed professional‑use policy for staff accounts and a plan to consolidate school‑related social accounts.
Superintendent Steve Paramore introduced the item and turned the presentation over to Tony Bunt, the district’s software manager, who said ParentSquare launched in July and that the district is approaching near‑universal contact with families. "Eighty‑seven percent of parents are receiving communication by email, 99% have their phones connected to ParentSquare and 56% are using the app," Bunt said, adding the district has sent roughly 33,000 direct messages and posted nearly 3,000 class‑group messages since launch. He said about 49% of parents have interacted with posts by commenting or reacting.
Bunt asked the board to consider a policy requiring staff to use school‑issued professional email accounts for official business and to give administrators the ability to manage affiliate pages (for sports teams and parent groups) so accounts can be transferred and inappropriate posts removed quickly. "It just highlights the need for them to use their school‑issued email on all official business," he said.
Board members supported the proposal and raised implementation questions. Missus Mowery requested clarity on enforcement and consequences; the superintendent and staff said the social‑media guidelines will be folded into staff and student handbooks and that the document includes a "social media don'ts" section for staff and students.
The presentation also included a draft branding guide that would standardize logos, fonts and acceptable uses across the district and recommend preserving a historical record of existing marks. Bunt said the district YouTube channel has about 3,500 subscribers and nearly 300,000 lifetime views, and the district Facebook page has roughly 100,000 cumulative views.
What happens next: staff will provide the board with the proposed digital‑citizenship and social‑media policy language for inclusion in handbooks and will continue to inventory affiliate accounts so administrators can be assigned to manage transitions and takedowns when necessary.
