Ashland City Schools proposes digital citizenship policy, tighter social‑media and branding controls

Tony Bunt, the district’s software manager, laid out a plan to codify how Ashland City Schools uses social media and to expand digital‑citizenship instruction at the board’s Nov. 24 meeting.

Bunt said the district launched ParentSquare in July and is nearing universal parent contactability through the platform: 87% of parents receive email from the system, 99% have phones connected, 56% use the app and 51% have notifications enabled. He said the district has sent about 33,000 direct messages and posted nearly 3,000 class‑group messages since rollout. Bunt described ParentSquare features the district uses (post groups, direct messaging, attendance notices, automatic grade notices, translation and a StudentSquare student version) and said the system will be a primary tool for emergency alerts and building communications.

“This gives us a single channel where nearly all parents can be reached,” Bunt said. He briefed the board on plans to use ParentSquare for attendance and event RSVPs, to record virtual calls through the app and to pilot student‑led content creation tools such as Class Intercom.

On policy, Bunt recommended a draft social‑media policy that distinguishes internal communication (ParentSquare) from public social platforms and asks staff to use school‑issued email addresses for official business. He told the board the policy would formalize account naming conventions (acs[entity] on major platforms), clarify which accounts are district vs. building vs. athletics, and require an administrative transfer process for pages run by volunteers so the district retains access when volunteers depart.

Bunt also recommended a branding guide to narrow the number of official logos and fonts in use, document historic marks, and set an acceptable‑use policy for third‑party vendors that produce district merchandise. He said a consolidated approach would protect student privacy while presenting a unified public image.

Superintendent Steve Paramore framed the policy as a component of broader digital‑citizenship instruction. He said selected elements would be incorporated in the staff and student handbooks and that the district will provide ongoing education to staff and students. “Digital citizenship is just as important now as health class,” he said.

Board members praised the work and asked for clarity on accountability and consequences. Mrs. Mowery and other board members asked how enforcement would appear in handbooks and whether students and staff would receive consistent education on the new expectations; Paramore and Bunt said that would come through handbook language and continuing staff and classroom instruction, with Project Pavas and other existing curricular touchpoints used as models.

The board discussed next steps for the branding guide, including compiling a historic record of logos, narrowing approved marks, and considering a formal branding launch. Bunt said the athletics accounts and some older external pages were left unchanged for continuity but would be folded into standards where practical.

The board did not vote on the social‑media policy at this meeting. Bunt said staff would circulate the slides and a draft of the policy for further review and that the district would bring recommended handbook language forward for board approval.