Vestavia Hills unveils communications overhaul: ParentSquare rollout, liaisons and website revamp cited

District staff presented a new communications strategy March 30 designed to make the school system "the first and best source of information" for families, combining a platform rollout, school-based liaisons and a refreshed website.

Will, a district staff member leading the presentation, said a 17-week audit by the National School Public Relations Association found high trust in school communications but recommended a more comprehensive, unified approach. "We have to be the first and best source of information about our schools," Will said, framing the plan as a newsroom-style hub for district information.

Staff cited metrics they said show rapid growth in reach: "over 8 and 1/2 million views and 160,000 interactions" across social platforms since the start of the school year, and ParentSquare usage figures including more than 11,000 posts, 12,000 pictures and videos, and over 127,000 direct messages. Will said geotagging shows most of the social traffic is local to Vestavia Hills and the immediate surrounding area.

The district also described adding school-level communication liaisons (named in the meeting as Jenna Skinner, Allison Hall, Abby Gillette, Allison Little and Kira Aaron) to amplify positive school stories and improve accessibility. Will highlighted ParentSquare benefits for special education staff, saying the platform creates a secure paper trail for communications and has been "a huge win for our special education teachers and staff."

Board members praised the tools and noted ParentSquare's chronological organization and cross-school searchability helps parents with children in multiple schools. Staff said the next steps include continued professional development for employees on advanced platform features and further work to consolidate and simplify district web content.