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Kingston school communications team outlines plan, cites broad digital reach
Summary
District communications staff presented a multi-year plan to centralize messaging, improve accessibility and ramp up family engagement, reporting that Facebook posts reached about 388,000 people since Sept. 1, 2024, video views are up 88% and the district app launched in September.
Kingston City School District communications staff on Tuesday told the board they have largely implemented a planned, multi‑year communications overhaul designed to increase clarity and trust with families and staff.
The department said the plan grew from a 2021 scope survey and focus groups that found inconsistent building-level communication and limited two‑way engagement. "We wanted proactive, consistent communication that strengthens trust and supports the mission to inspire, educate, graduate all students all the time," the communications lead said during the presentation.
The team outlined several operational changes: staff receive incident notices before or at the same time as families when possible; text messages are reserved for emergencies to reduce "message fatigue"; every district email is being standardized and sent with ADA‑compliant templates; and messages are translated for Spanish-speaking families. The communications team also rolled out a centralized internal calendar and standardized brand kit and templates for presentations and email signatures.
Digital metrics were a major focus of the update. Brendan, the district's digital communications specialist, reported that since Sept. 1, 2024 the district's Facebook posts have reached about 388,000 unique accounts and that content interactions exceeded 100,000 in the year-long window. "Video views are up 88%," he said, and the new KCSD mobile app has seen roughly 4,700 automatic updates and 173 new downloads since its September launch.
Trustees praised the improvements but asked for clearer, simple pathways for parents to update contact information and for improvements to bus-route notification logic so working families receive the alerts they need. Board members also emphasized the need to ensure communications serve families who are not digitally connected.
The administration said it would follow up on the enrollment for text messages and review options so that bus-route alerts reach the correct households. The communications team said several technology- and safety-related policies remain in first reading and will return for vote after the required review cycle.
