When our district realized we were spending more time troubleshooting communication breakdowns than actually connecting with families, we knew something had to change. We were operating with a fragmented tech stack—one platform for messaging home, another for student data—and the two never played well together. Despite repeated attempts to bridge the systems, the integration was never reliable. We needed a unified solution—something built to streamline communication, automatically support multilingual families, and empower every staff member to reach parents with ease.
Here are five reasons we ultimately selected the platform and how it’s helping us connect with 98% of our families today.
Breaks down language barriers automatically. About 38% of our students are from Spanish-speaking families who rely on translations of teacher communications, entire websites, and other important materials. While many of our students speak English fluently, their families at home often do not. Our communications platform helps bridge that gap by working in concert with our SIS to identify the families that need messages translated and then automatically handling the task before sending those communications out.
Boosts contactability through seamless translations. Automatic translations is just one of the many features that helped us reach an unprecedented 98% contactability rate. For the first time, we’re able to communicate directly with our Spanish-speaking families—without relying on manual translation or third-party tools. When a parent replies in their native language, the message arrives in English for our teachers, creating a two-way conversation that’s both immediate and meaningful.
Extends reach with a single click. With our new solution, we’re able to manage both school-home communications and our district website from the same platform. When an administrator sends out an emergency notification, that message is automatically published to our website—no extra steps required. This has been a game-changer. For years, when we had a weather delay or school closure, I’d get a 4 a.m. call, then have to manually update the website, post to social media, and make sure the message got out through every channel. Now, it’s all done in one step—saving time, reducing errors, and ensuring every family gets the information they need, fast.
Eliminates extra tools and saves money. Our ParentSquare platform has other valuable tools and features, which means that I don't have to go out and find a great voiceover IP option for my teachers to use because I can do that with Virtual Phone. Our teachers can make a call directly from their laptops or mobile app, effectively eliminating the need for physical phones in every classroom. Going forward, we probably won’t provide headsets or handsets because now everyone can make all of those calls via the built-in phone features, which saves us money.
Simplifies new family onboarding. These days, I visit the platform once every few weeks, view the new families that have enrolled in the school district, and get them onboarded quickly. I click a button, and an email with all the platform details goes out to them. That's huge.
Ensure fast, reliable support
From the CTO's perspective, I’m always evaluating our vendors’ customer service offerings and how they will kick in when a parent, teacher or school leader needs support. When we assessed our communication provider’s customer service, we liked what we saw. In fact, I was just on the phone helping a parent yesterday and was able to resolve her issue quickly and efficiently. Our platform is more than just a communications tool. It’s a foundation for stronger connections across our entire district.
Chris Smallen is CTO at Lenoir City Schools in Lenoir City, Tennessee.
