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Urbana SD 116 to pilot ParentSquare for unified family communications
Summary
After evaluating ParentSquare, Seesaw and SchoolMessenger, district staff selected ParentSquare for its translation, two‑way messaging, Skyward integration and critical‑alert features; pilots will begin in November with district rollout planned in January 2026 (teacher use voluntary this school year).
The district presented its evaluation and planned pilot of ParentSquare as a unified communications platform.
Administration and communications staff tested sandbox versions of ParentSquare, Seesaw and SchoolMessenger (My Power Hub). After technical tests and focus groups with staff and parents they selected ParentSquare for features the district prioritized: integrated translation across many languages, two‑way messaging with obfuscated phone numbers, customizable newsfeeds and calendars that parents can tailor to their students, critical alert capability that overrides opt‑outs, and direct integration with Skyward for automated groups (e.g., teams and rosters).
Staff described pilots planned for November at an early‑childhood site, Yankee Ridge (dual‑language elementary) and one secondary site to test translation, teacher workflows and athletics/coach messaging; a sports coach pilot was added for early November. Training for administrators is planned in December; the district intends to switch district‑level communications to ParentSquare after winter break (target Jan. 5) and to phase full district adoption for school year 2026‑27. Teachers may use the system voluntarily during the current school year to avoid mid‑year disruption.
Administration said licensing costs were negotiated to be similar to current SchoolMessenger costs and that pricing is based on enrollment (per‑student). Staff emphasized a need for training and communications best practices to avoid message fatigue and to increase reach to families who are currently hard to contact.
The board asked about data migration and message history; staff said old messages remain accessible through existing email archives and that non‑federated teacher platforms (e.g., Remind or ClassDojo) are not importable, which is why districtwide consolidation is important for record‑access and legal compliance.
