Libby Public Schools launches new method of school-home communication

Libby Public Schools has launched a new way to communicate with parents and guardians of its students.

The new app was put it into use today for the first time.

ParentSquare, the new communication platform, allows parents and guardians in Libby Public Schools to receive all of their communications from the district, schools, classrooms and school activity groups in one unified app and service.

According to a press release from the school district, ParentSquare is a simple and unified school-to-home communication platform intended to reach and engage every parent, helping ensure all parents have the opportunity to actively participate in their children’s education.

ParentSquare is now available for staff and parents to use on their computers or mobile devices.

Curriculum and special services director Scott Beagle said in an interview with The Western News that one of the things that came up in meetings last fall was how the school could improve its communication with parents and guardians.

"A new parent in the community knew about ParentSquare and we began looking into it and other, similar companies," Beagle said. "ParentSquare stood out among them. It should also give us better security with our information."

The program costs about $7,000, but a safety grant will help pay for it.

Beagle said parents don't have to have the app and they will still receive information as they previously have. He also said information will be sent home with elementary school students as well as posted on school websites so parents or guardians can sign up for the service.

Beagle also said the information will be sent to the school's various social media platforms, including Facebook.

School officials say by unifying multiple tools into one communications app and service, ParentSquare provides a seamless experience for parents and staff. Parents will be able to keep track of news, activities and events from all their children’s schools in one place.

Beagle said Superintendent Ron Goodman spoke with other officials at schools who use the app to see how they felt about the service. Staff members also spent two months training to learn how to use the app.

Libby Public Schools hopes that ParentSquare’s intuitive, two-way platform will foster greater communication and family involvement. With ParentSquare, parents can enjoy photos posted by teachers, fill out forms and permission slips, sign up for parent-teacher conferences, check grades and attendance and more. 

School staff and parents can engage in both one-to-one and group messaging with real-time language translation.

“Effective school-to-home communication has never been more important, which is why Libby Public Schools adopted the ParentSquare communication platform," Libby Schools Superintendent Ron Goodman said. "We’re looking forward to reaching 100% of our families no matter where they are, unifying all our communications tools and adopting a more eco-friendly approach by reducing the amount of paper used to send important communications."

Libby Public Schools’s partnership with ParentSquare will enable stronger engagement between school and home and help empower everyone within the school community to stay connected and informed. ParentSquare is also administering the school's web pages.

"We think that'll also improve the experience for anyone seeking information on our websites," Beagle said.

For more information on ParentSquare, visit www.parentsquare.com.

According to information from ParentSquare, it is relied upon by millions of educators and families in 48 states for unified, effective school communications. ParentSquare provides parent engagement tools that work from the district office to the individual classroom, supported by powerful metrics and reporting. 

ParentSquare's technology platform features extensive integrations with student information and other critical administrative systems, translation to more than 100 languages, and app, email, text, voice, and web portal access for equitable communication. ParentSquare, founded in 2011, is based in Santa Barbara, California.