Board approves ParentSquare rollout and social media rules under HB 2299

The Clay County Board of Education approved a districtwide rollout of ParentSquare, an online communications platform that integrates with the district's PowerSchool student information system, and accepted social media expectations intended to align the district with House Bill 2299.

"Parents technically don't have to sign up for the app. They're gonna get the notifications whether they sign up for it or not," a staff member involved in the rollout (Speaker 7) said while demonstrating the platform's group features. Staff described ParentSquare as syncing with PowerSchool so coaches or teachers can create groups that automatically notify parents of those students.

Staff also presented cost details: "ParentSquare, initially was, 7,200 because of the $1,200 start up fee, but it's about 6,000 a year after that," Speaker 7 said, and asked the board to approve official district social media sites and expectations that would centralize posts and limit who can post districtwide alerts.

Trustees approved the communications and social-media expectations as presented. Staff said a small number of designated staff per building would be able to post publicly, with other classroom or team communications routed through ParentSquare and, where appropriate, selected photos forwarded to the district website.

Why it matters: The technology change affects how families receive notifications, how staff post school content and creates a recurring subscription cost for the district. Staff said the platform improves targeted communication and gives administrators the ability to review communications when incidents arise.

What's next: Staff will continue training building liaisons and bring systems live in time for enrollment and back-to-school communications.