Board discusses Act 89 training policy and plans to consolidate parent communications on ParentSquare

The Raymond #14 School District board moved to consider adopting Act 89 policies and heard a presentation explaining implementation steps, including required staff training and a shift to the ParentSquare communications app.

The chair introduced the item and moved to approve the Act 89 policies that had been read at last month's meeting. A presenter told the audience that "Act 89 is the new legislation" that requires training "for protecting our students and our staff" and said, "Act 89 has to be adopted by school districts by September 1." The presenter said all staff will undergo the required training and that, as a result, the district will move to an app called ParentSquare to centralize communications. The presenter described ParentSquare as "sort of a controlled social media feed" and said "it's very safe." The presentation said the district previously used ClassDojo in some younger grades and email or other communications in older grades, and that ParentSquare is being adopted to standardize and tighten communications channels.

The presenter also referenced related legislation, noting that Act 89 and a related "grooming" law (identified in discussion as Act 57) are linked in public discussion; the presenter said some people "refer to it as the groomers" when describing parts of the broader legislative context. Board members did not record a roll-call vote on Act 89 in the provided transcript segments; the motion to approve the policies was introduced and followed by the explanation of training and ParentSquare implementation.