FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

All parents and guardians listed in our PowerSchool student information system automatically have a ParentSquare account and receive email and text communications from the district. However, to access all communications features available and to view communications in one easy location, parents are asked to login and verify their ParentSquare accounts in the online interface.

Verifying simply means you will confirm your contact information and the names and grades of your children registered for school in the district. This ensures we are able to communicate with you and that you receive the appropriate information for your students.

At the beginning of the school year (and subsequent times as needed), the district will send you an invitation using your email address or phone number on file.

1. Open the invitation from ParentSquare in your email or text messages.
2. Click Activate your account or tap the link to go to the account registration page.
3. Enter your email or phone number, then click Get Started. (Optional: You can also sign in with Google or Microsoft.)
4. Check your contact information. If it looks correct, click Confirm. You’ll receive a code by text or email.
5. Enter the verification code when asked.
6. You’ll see your children’s names. Click Confirm next to each child who should be connected to your account. If a child is listed by mistake, click Not my child.
7. If everything looks correct, click Yes, this is me. Now you’re ready to start using ParentSquare!

No, by default, district communications are delivered to the parent email addresses and mobile phone numbers listed in PowerSchool for your child regardless of whether you are logged into the ParentSquare website or mobile app. Occasionally, teachers may post non-essential information only to the online application.

The ParentSquare website and mobile app serve as a hub of communication that can be sorted by student, school or teacher. Staff members may share photos from class, videos, flyers for upcoming events, important documents or other classroom, school or district news. In addition, ParentSquare may be used for allowing parents to complete needed forms or sign-up to volunteer. Posts in the online applications are searchable, making it easier to locate relevant information.

Yes, you may click your name in the top right corner of the ParentSquare website when logged in to access various account settings. You may adjust notification settings by clicking the link in the left menu. Parents may choose the "instant" setting to be notified immediately of communications or choose "digest" to receive a daily notification containing all messages from that day. All district urgent alerts are delivered instantly regardless of parent settings.

The contact email addresses and mobile numbers listed in ParentSquare are automatically migrated for each student from the information used for a child's mother and father during school registration.

Because ParentSquare student and guardian information is pulled directly from PowerSchool, contact changes must be made by designated staff members within the PowerSchool platform. Changes sync from PowerSchool to ParentSquare every evening. Contact change requests submitted through the online ParentSquare account settings will be reviewed by staff and updated as quickly as possible. You may also contact your school's MSIS clerk to request a change or reach out to Haley Montgomery, SOCSD Director of Communications at hmontgomery@starkvillesd.com.

Because of the application limitations, only two parents or guardians receive automatic parent accounts in ParentSquare. However, we understand that some families need more. If your family includes multiple step-parents that may need access to your student's school communications, please contact Haley Montgomery, SOCSD Director of Communications at hmontgomery@starkvillesd.com to be added individually.

Through our PowerSchool sync, your child will be automatically added to his or her classes for teacher and school communications.

Some of our club or activity teacher sponsors utilize ParentSquare for communications. Those sponsors may add you to a custom group in the platform for sending or receiving messages.

Yes, the schools, grade levels and classes for your child will automatically update in your ParentSquare account for the new school year when the district rolls over to a new year and schedules are updated in PowerSchool in July. When you log in to your ParentSquare account after roll-over, you should see your child's new grade level and have access to their new schools. Direct messages from previous years are still available in your account, but you will not be able to view posts from previous school years.