CLEVELAND — At Cleveland Public Schools, one of their goals is to keep communication simple, timely, and effective.
“ParentSquare is our primary communication tool for school and district updates, classroom information, reminders, and emergency notifications,” Superintendent Sol Bayouth said.
He said parents should verify their contact information.
“The most important step is making sure your phone number and email address are current,” he said. “If you have recently changed phone numbers, switched email accounts, or moved, contact your child's school office so we can update your information. ParentSquare can only send notifications to the contact information we have on file.”
Bayouth encouraged parents to download the mobile app.
“While ParentSquare works on a computer, the mobile app makes communication much easier,” he said.
With the app, parents can receive notifications instantly, send messages to teachers, view announcements, and access school information anytime.
The app is available for both Apple and Android devices.
Bayouth said parents can choose how often ParentSquare contacts them.
Under account settings, parents can select instant notifications, which send messages as they are posted, or digest notifications, which send one summary message each evening.
“Many parents find the daily digest option helps reduce notification overload while still keeping them informed,” he said.
ParentSquare can automatically translate messages into many different languages.
“Simply update your language preference in your account settings, and messages will appear in your preferred language whenever available,” he said.
Bayouth said many school events, reminders, and activities are shared through ParentSquare.
He encourages parents to make it a habit to check announcements regularly so they don't miss important dates such as parent-teacher conferences, school programs, athletic events, fundraisers, and deadline reminders.
ParentSquare makes it easy to communicate with teachers, coaches, and school staff.
When messaging, Bayouth said parents should keep messages brief and specific, allow time for staff to respond during the school day, and use ParentSquare for school-related communication whenever possible.
Posts are used for general news, updates, and routine information. These may appear in the ParentSquare newsfeed and can also generate app notifications.
Smart Alerts are used for situations that are more important than a regular post but are not emergencies.
“For example, we used this feature earlier this year when district internet and phone services were unavailable,” Bayouth said. “While utilizing that feature, we also discovered that some parents experienced delays in receiving text messages, which helped us identify areas for improvement.”
Bayouth said Urgent Alerts are reserved for significant emergencies that require immediate attention. These alerts are designed to be highly noticeable and, in many cases, will override a phone's silent mode to ensure the message is received quickly.
Bayouth said strong communication between schools and families helps students succeed.
“If you're having trouble logging in, receiving messages, or updating your account, please contact your school's office and we'll be happy to assist,” he said. “Thank you for partnering with us and staying connected through ParentSquare. Working together, we can ensure every family stays informed and engaged in their child's educational journey.”