Skip to Content
Categories:

Not Your Mom’s Facebook

New LHS ParentSquare App improves parent communication
ParentSquare logo. Photo courtesy of ParentSquare.
ParentSquare logo. Photo courtesy of ParentSquare.

Out with the old, in with the new. This year Lancaster High School is testing out a new way to bolster communication between the school staff, parents, and students. According to the ParentSquare website, ParentSquare is intended to help schools and families stay connected and informed, all in one place. It has a familiar look to Facebook, in which users can post a message, an alert from the district, or a reminder about a school event.  Approximately 50 percent of parents at LHS have signed up for it. 

LHS Associate Principal Andy Knuckles.

“ParentSquare is a means of communication used at the district level that we’ve adopted. It allows us to communicate directly with parents in a mass way, with parents of all of our students or in select groups. It also will allow for us to communicate with our staff at times, to quickly get information and push information out to them,” explained Andrew Knuckles, LHS Associate Principal.

Knuckles said that he thinks ParentSquare is an improvement that was needed in the school district.

“I think there was a need in our community for us to be able to communicate this way. I think our parents live in a world now where they rely on that information. I know when I grew up, it was different. I kind of just told my mom, hey, practice is gonna be over at this time. I don’t remember anybody sending that information out, but I think our parents want more. They demand a little more, and they’re not wrong, I’m a parent too,” said Knuckles. 

ParentSquare is also used at all of the schools in Lancaster. LHS math teacher Lindsay Swartz, who also has three kids of her own, said that so far, the app has been efficient.

LHS math teacher and ParentSquare user Lindsay Swartz.

“I think ParentSquare is extremely helpful.  I think it is a great way to get news, events, and information out to parents. I am in a unique position where I have two children at Tarhe Elementary, one child at General Sherman Junior High, and I teach at the high school.  I love how ParentSquare allows me to get updates at all three buildings in one app.  I think it is especially helpful to parents in the community that have children at different buildings,” said Swartz.

Swartz told Eye of the Gale that she accesses the app regularly and appreciates being able to see each of the schools providing updates daily about events happening during and after school.  Fundraisers, information about sports try-outs, announcements such as students of the month, spirit week, and the like are posted from various schools.

LHS librarian Megan Meyer said her experience with ParentSquare has helped her to stay up to date and in touch with what is happening in her children’s schools.

LHS librarian and ParentSquare user Megan Myers. Photo courtesy of HR Imaging.

“ParentSquare has been very helpful to me because I have three kids at three different buildings and depending on what school they were at, teachers used different apps. With ParentSquare, I have one app, and I can just click on each of the buildings. If I don’t open the app every couple days, I get an email with a digest of what’s going on from each building,” says Myers.

The Lancaster City school district is hoping that all parents eventually sign up and begin using ParentSquare. Eventually, the school district plans to incorporate the app for student use. 

“Eventually, it’s going to allow us to be able to interact with students on there. They’re going to add students eventually, and then we’ll have where you could [communicate with] your team or your club or your activity or your group that way,” said Knuckles.

Swartz said she thinks opening ParentSquare to everyone would be an asset.

“I definitely think everyone would benefit from staying connected to their school buildings through ParentSquare.  It would be great if everyone was connected to the ParentSquare app,” said Swartz. 

Teachers can use the platform to inform parents about their children’s academic progress, describe and explain various projects that students are currently working on, and conference with parents through messaging. To sign up for ParentSquare, download the app or visit the website and use the email or phone number that the school has on file to create an account. The web address is ParentSquare.com.

 

More to Discover