Agenda Item
Meeting Date:
2/3/2023 - 7:00 PM  
Category:
School and Community Relations  
Type:
Info  
Subject:
Mid-Year Progress Report on Implementation of ParentSquare Platform  
ACPS 2025 Strategic Plan Goal:
Goal 1: Systemic Alignment
ACPS will build a culture of continuous improvement and design equitable systems for school and instructional improvement.
Goal 4: Strategic Resource Allocation
ACPS will strategically provide differentiated resources and supports to schools and departments.
Goal 5: Family and Community Engagement
ACPS will ensure that all families and community members feel welcomed, respected, and valued.
 
Policy:
KA - Goals for School Community Parent Relations  
Funding Source or Fiscal Impact (where applicable):
 
File Attachment:
230203_Board_Brief_Mid-Year_Progress_Report_ParentSquare.pdf
ParentSquare Platform Mid-Year Report, July 2022 – January 2023.pdf
 
Agenda Item Summary:
The implementation of ParentSquare is a key action in the division’s strategic work to provide a streamlined set of digital tools that supports real-time communication with staff and all families while ensuring that messaging about classroom activities, family engagement opportunities, absenteeism, facilities and operations services, safety and security is timely, accessible, translated, recognizable and updated. To that end, the Department of School and Community Relations worked with the Department of Technology Services to ensure that all staff members and parents/guardians had active ParentSquare accounts to receive and send messages when schools opened in August 2022.  
Background:
In August 2022, Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) launched ParentSquare, a communications platform to encourage a stronger school to home connection. The platform allows families to receive announcements from the division and their schools and teachers in one place, with the added ability to engage in two-way communication in their preferred method (email, text and/or app), frequency and language.  
Recommendation
The interim superintendent recommends that the School Board review the ParentSquare Mid-Year Performance Report to better understand how the platform is being used to facilitate school-home communications in its initial roll-out and what full implementation will include.  
Approvals:
Recommended By:
Signed By:
Julia Burgos - Chief of School and Community Relations
Signed By:  
Dr. Melanie Kay-Wyatt - Interim Superintendent