School District Adopts ParentSquare To Eliminate Communication Disparities

Challenges & Goals

The district had 60 days to replace its direct messaging platform, classroom behavior tool, and newsletter system.
The district needed a single, unified platform to replace multiple tools that required time and resources to maintain.
The district needed to provide easy access for every parent and guardian—including its large ELL population.
The district also wanted to simplify how it collects and manages school payments, with a goal of eliminating cash and simplifying payment management.
With expedited implementation, the district now manages fewer tools and delivers timely, accurate communication to every stakeholder in their preferred language and from one platform.

When Rave Mobile Solutions discontinued the SwiftK12 product, Sunnybrook School District 171 in Lansing, Ill., had 60 days to find a replacement communication solution. The district was under contract with Rave, but District Technology Director Mike McGowan had his eye on ParentSquare for school-home communications for some time.

“I’d been looking at the platform for a while, so making the move was a no-brainer,” said McGowan, who was especially interested in using the vendor’s unified solution to replace their previous direct messaging platform, classroom behavior management system, and newsletter tool. “Today we have an equity-rich, one-stop shop for two-way communication with our families.”

The district adopted ParentSquare during the spring of 2024 and immediately began notifying parents about the new platform and how it would be used during the coming school year.

Name

Sunnybrook School District 171

Type

District of 2 Schools

Students

1,000

Location

Lansing, IL

Now, all autocalls and mass emails are being sent through ParentSquare, which is also being used for all school newsletters (biweekly during the school year and monthly during the summer). “When school starts every August, ParentSquare is the place to be,” said McGowan.

As adoption has expanded, Sunnybrook is also using ParentSquare Pay to bring school payments into the same system. This supports the district’s goal of becoming fully cashless, while further reducing the need for multiple systems across communication and operations.

A Powerful Communication Tool

With PowerSchool as its student information system and ParentSquare as its communication platform, the district now has an integrated, unified communication stream that brings everyone together in one place. “This helps us avoid miscommunication and the chance of a time being updated on one platform but not on the other,” said McGowan.

The district’s top priority is to provide easy access for parents, who need to be able to send and receive messages, read about the district’s wins, and stay informed about upcoming events. ParentSquare provides a foundation for the consistent, unified messaging that the district strives for.

The platform’s language translation capability also promotes unity and supports the district’s large ELL population, which has a particularly high need for both Spanish and Arabic translation. Unlike other school-home communication solutions, ParentSquare automatically translates the exact same way across different communication streams.

“That way, we always know that parents are going to understand the message,” McGowan explained, “versus having to worry about which one is translated more accurately.”

Saving Time and Money

By consolidating systems into a single platform, Sunnybrook has streamlined communication, reduced duplication, and simplified day-to-day workflows for staff. “It really makes life simpler for all of us,” said McGowan.

For example, if a bus is running 15 minutes late, the message would have previously been handled by four different people before being sent out to the impacted parents. Today, the person who gets the alert from the transportation contractor can send a targeted message through ParentSquare to improve accuracy and help reduce delays.

That same efficiency now extends to payments. By adopting ParentSquare Pay, the district is eliminating manual processes tied to cash and reducing the need to collect, track, and reconcile payments across multiple systems.

Instead of managing forms, fees, and payments separately, staff can now handle everything in the platform parents already use. Payment requests can be tied directly to posts, events, or invoices, with built-in reminders delivered through families’ preferred communication channels and languages. Administrators can also track payment status in real time, without additional coordination across teams.

“For us, it’s about removing friction for both staff and families,” McGowan said. “Payments happen in the place families are already engaged, and we don’t have to manage multiple systems or manual tracking anymore.”

The shift enabled the district to become fully cashless, improving financial visibility while reducing administrative burden across schools.

The platform has also reduced professional development time. Staff only need to learn one system instead of multiple tools, each with its own training and support requirements. By consolidating communication and payments, the district continues to reduce costs associated with licensing, implementation, and ongoing maintenance.

“By unifying, we’ve eliminated the cost of all of those other programs,” said McGowan.

“I’d been looking at ParentSquare for a while, so moving over to that platform was a no-brainer. Today we have an equity-rich, one-stop shop for two-way communication with our families.”

Controlling the Narrative

Timely, consistent communication is critical in a school environment. Whether it’s a reminder about an upcoming event or an urgent update, districts need to be able to reach families quickly with accurate information.

ParentSquare enables Sunnybrook to communicate in real time, helping prevent misinformation and confusion.

“It’s very important that we can get stuff out in a timely manner to control the narrative,” McGowan explained. “We can even just use it to say simple things like, ‘We’re investigating the situation; more details to come later.’ That way, no one is wondering why it’s taking us so long to at least share some news about what’s going on.”

Tech That Performs as Expected—and More

Sunnybrook worked closely with ParentSquare’s Customer Success team to make sure all of the district’s needs and expectations would be met. McGowan noted the responsiveness and collaboration of the ParentSquare team as a key part of their positive experience.

“Everybody I’ve worked with from initial research to purchasing to implementation has been very open to our questions, concerns and inquiries. They always get back to us very quickly,” he said. “ParentSquare has worked with us hand in hand and is always open to hearing our feedback on the platform. They’ve been phenomenal.”