Henrico Schools unveils new communication platform for parents and staff

Henrico County Public Schools soon will begin using the ParentSquare app to send alerts and information to parents and to allow parents and teachers to message each other directly.

Both parents and teachers can download the school-home communication platform now on their Android or iPhone. Launched in 2014, ParentSquare provides features such as mass notifications, urgent alerts, and private direct messaging.

Beginning Aug. 15, teachers will have access to class rosters automatically set up for the new school year. Parents will automatically be invited to download the app once school starts, since the school system has parent contact information for emergencies.

HCPS communications previously were more one-way, according to Henrico Schools spokesperson Eileen Cox, so school system officials are aiming to foster more parental engagement and streamline school communication through the ParentSquare app.

“It’s an engagement tool as well as a communication tool, helping teachers and parents engage with each other,” Cox said. “It builds on the communication resources already provided.”

While neither teachers or parents are required to download the app, they are encouraged to use the platform, according to Cox. Teachers also may continue to use other platforms they already are using to communicate with parents.

HCPS will send out “Smart Alerts” on the platform, such as reminders about school starting or notifications about school closures, that will reach parents through text, email or phone call. Parents can choose to receive non-emergency messages through a daily digest email instead of through individual messages, but emergency notifications will override this request. Smart Alerts and emergency notifications will be one-way communication from the schools.

ParentSquare also allows teachers and parents to directly message each other on the app without divulging private information such as phone numbers.

In addition, direct messages can be automatically translated; teachers can send messages in English that will be translated in a parent’s preferred language, with parents’ messages translated in English for teachers.

The automatic translation tool will be especially helpful in Henrico, according to Cox, because students in the division and their families speak more than 100 languages.

While anyone with a HCPS ID can register for ParentSquare, only the parent and the teacher will be able to see their private direct messages.

Other information, such as school newsletters or event announcements, will be available to parents through posts made by the school system, administrators or teachers that appear through a social media feed on the app. Parents can “like,” “appreciate,” or comment on these posts.

“Before, you know, we would often send flyers or notices home in kids’ backpacks and they wouldn’t always reach parents because it might have gotten lost or forgotten about,” Cox said. “Now it can be much easier to reach parents directly.”

HCPS will not include students on the platform initially, but may integrate them into ParentSquare later down the road to allow for student-teacher communication.

School administrators also will use the app to send parents attendance notifications. Through a pilot program, parents at six schools will be able to respond to these notifications confirming student absences. Based on the pilot, HCPS will decide whether to expand that two-way communication to all schools.

ParentSquare also has a number of other features:

• teachers can send photos or videos to parents, attach photos or links to class newsletters;

• parents can choose to have school events added to their calendars automatically;

• teachers and staff members can list office hours on the app;

• teachers will have access to parents of students from each of their classes, who they can contact individually or as a group.

“Teachers can even send photos of a student at work to their parent individually,” Cox said. “For students who are struggling, this could really motivate a parent to show them that they are making progress.”

A number of other Virginia school divisions have begun using ParentSquare, including Hampton City Schools, Alexandria City Public Schools, Virginia Beach City Public Schools, Henry County Public Schools, Petersburg City Public Schools and Franklin City Public Schools.

Since the beginning of the school year can be very busy for teachers and parents, Cox said that there is no expectation for them to immediately download the app. HCPS will likely see more parents sign up after the school year begins and once parents realize that most school notifications will be sent through the app, she said.

“There isn’t an expectation for every teacher to download the app on the first day of school,” Cox said. “We know they will be very busy, and we want this to be another tool for them to accomplish the things they are already doing.”

“It’s not taking away the communication apps that teachers are already using, but we just want them to give it a try and see if it provides more consistent communication,” she said.

ParentSquare has several other features that HCPS may adopt later during the school year. For example, HCPS currently uses the SignUpGenius platform to register people for events but may switch over to ParentSquare.

HCPS officials have sent links to school staff members for ParentSquare module training and will include links and information to familiarize families with the platform in their back-to-school newsletter. Parents and staff can sign up for the app using this link.

Liana Hardy is the Citizen’s Report for America Corps member and education reporter. Support her work by making a tax-deductible contribution to the Citizen through RFA here.