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Board hears recommendation to adopt ParentSquare as district communication platform
Summary
District staff recommended ParentSquare after an RFP and 11-member evaluation; the platform would centralize parent, student and coach messaging at an estimated cost of about $30,000, with staff testing a sandbox before returning for action.
Jessica presented the results of an RFP for a unified communication platform and said the evaluation team—11 people representing elementary, middle and high schools plus parent and student representation—unanimously recommended ParentSquare. “So after seeing those demonstrations and presentations, it was unanimously agreed to move forward with Parent Square,” she said.
Jessica said the district received eight vendor responses, three met requirements, and the district would continue sandbox testing before bringing a final action item back to the board. “In total, it will be about $30,000,” she said, and staff recommended funding the platform from capital outlay rather than the general fund. She also explained integration limits with the district’s student information system: “it is a nightly feed from Infinite Campus,” and Infinite Campus would still be needed for real-time attendance alerts.
Board members asked whether the platform covers students as well as parents, whether it could replace separate bus apps and whether two-way messaging would be allowed. Jessica said ParentSquare supports both parent and student accounts, allows two-way communication and can cover bus-route messaging though it does not provide GPS tracking. The board directed staff to continue testing the sandbox environment and return with any red flags before taking final action at a later meeting.
