ParentSquare Communications Platform

Overview

What is ParentSquare?

ParentSquare and StudentSquare (for current D113 students) are a unified communications platform that will enable District 113 to streamline the number of tools it uses to communicate with parents/guardians, students, staff and the community.

Why ParentSquare?

Streamlining the number of platforms D113 uses to communicate will result in cost savings, a reduction in required staff time to manage multiple platforms, and provide a more uniform user interface and user experience.

In addition, ParentSquare offers many benefits, including:

Fewer platforms for both senders and recipients to manage
The ability for each recipient to select to receive communication in their preferred language, with over 100 languages
The option for recipients to choose how often they want to receive messages - a digest of all the day’s messages at one time, around 6 p.m., or as the messages are sent. Please note that this option does not apply to emergency messages.

Preferred Language & Notifications

This app puts greater functionality at your fingertips. You can download this free app from Apple or Google Play.

Setting Your Preferred Language

Note: While posts and messages will be translated into your preferred language, ParentSquare menus can only be translated into English or Spanish. To see menus in Spanish in the mobile app, your phone’s language must be set to Spanish. StudentSquare menus are always in English and can only be changed by an admin.

Using the Mobile App

Log in to your ParentSquare account and go to the menu with three lines in the top left (sometimes referred to as the hamburger menu).

Select Account, then Preferences.

From the Preferences screen, select Language.

Choosing your preferred language in ParentSquare

Choose your preferred language. You will receive all post messages in your preferred language.

Languages to choose from in ParentSquare

Using a Website Browser

From Home, click the down arrow next to your name in the upper right. Select "Manage account."

Click on Language Settings in the left-hand sidebar.

Search for and select your preferred language from the drop-down menu and click Save.

Switching between English and Spanish (or English and another language) can be toggled at any time. In the top right, clicking on "Español" (or a different language if one was selected) will change all content and menus to Spanish.

Clicking "English" will revert all content and menus to English.

Configurar su idioma preferido

Para traducir el sitio web al español, por favor visite esta página para obtener instrucciones.

Note: While posts and messages will be translated into your preferred language, ParentSquare menus can only be translated into English or Spanish. To see menus in Spanish in the mobile app, your phone’s language must be set to Spanish. StudentSquare menus are always in English and can only be changed by an admin.

Using the Mobile App

Log in to your ParentSquare account and go to the menu with three lines in the top left (sometimes referred to as the hamburger menu).

Select Account, then Preferences.

From the Preferences screen, select Language.

Choose your preferred language. You will receive all post messages in your preferred language.

Choosing your preferred language in ParentSquare in Spanish

Using a Website Browser

From Home, click the down arrow next to your name in the upper right. Select "Manage account."

Click on Language Settings in the left-hand sidebar.

Search for and select your preferred language from the drop-down menu and click Save.

Configuring your language in ParentSquare in Spanish

Switching between English and Spanish (or English and another language) can be toggled at any time. In the top right, clicking on "Español" (or a different language if one was selected) will change all content and menus to Spanish.

Clicking "English" will revert all content and menus to English.

Notifications and Delivery Preferences

Using the Mobile App

Log in to your ParentSquare account and go to the menu with three lines in the top left (sometimes referred to as the hamburger menu).

Navigate to the account tab. Click the option that says notifications.

Screenshot of where to find notifications in ParentSquare

Under General Announcements & Messages, you can turn off notifications or switch between instant or digest. The same settings can be selected for text and app notifications.

Graphic showing where general announcements are

General Announcements are things like announcements, general emails and Principal Newsletters.

Instant = Delivered instantly after sending
Digest = One notification sent at approximately 6 p.m. for the entire day’s communications

Note that you can set your preference for both your school and district-level communications

Important: The School Alerts function is used for important messages like unexpected school closures, security messages and other time-sensitive notifications. Please leave both the school and district school alerts on.

Screenshot of school alerts setting in ParentSquare

Using a Website Browser

Log in to your ParentSquare account, click on your name in the top right, click Manage Account and navigate to Notification Settings under Settings.

There you will see your delivery preferences, see example screenshot below.

Instructional graphic on how to change notification preferences in ParentSquare

Under General Announcements & Messages, you can toggle between Off, Instant or Digest for email, text and app notifications.

General Announcements are things like announcements, general emails and Principal Newsletters.

Instant = Delivered instantly after sending
Digest = One notification sent at approximately 6 p.m. for the entire day’s communications

Note that you can set your preference for both your school and district-level communications.

If you do not have the ParentSquare app already, you can click on Get App to download. You will receive push notifications through the app. Coming in September for General Announcements & Messages: ParentSquare will deliver push notifications rather than text notifications to those with the app.

Graphic explaining how to download the ParentSquare app

Important: The School Alerts function is used for important messages like unexpected school closures, security messages and other time-sensitive notifications. Please leave both the school and district school alerts on.

Graphic explaining to keep school alerts on in ParentSquare

Notificaciones y preferencias de entrega

Using the Mobile App

Para traducir el sitio web al español, por favor visite esta página para obtener instrucciones.

Note: For menu options to appear in Spanish in the ParentSquare mobile app, your phone’s language must be set to Spanish.

Log in to your ParentSquare account and go to the menu with three lines in the top left (sometimes referred to as the hamburger menu).

Navigate to the account tab. Click the option that says notifications.

Main menu options of ParentSquare in Spanish

Under General Announcements & Messages, you can turn off notifications or switch between instant or digest. The same settings can be selected for text and app notifications.

ParentSquare notification options in Spanish

General Announcements are things like announcements, general emails and Principal Newsletters.

Instant = Delivered instantly after sending
Digest = One notification sent at approximately 6 p.m. for the entire day’s communications

Note that you can set your preference for both your school and district-level communications

Important: The School Alerts function is used for important messages like unexpected school closures, security messages and other time-sensitive notifications. Please leave both the school and district school alerts on.

ParentSquare in Spanish showing all school notification options

Using a Website Browser

Log in to your ParentSquare account, click on your name in the top right, click Manage Account and navigate to Notification Settings under Settings.

There you will see your delivery preferences, see example screenshot below.

Graphic explaining how to change notifications in ParentSquare

Under General Announcements & Messages, you can toggle between Off, Instant or Digest for email, text and app notifications.

General Announcements are things like announcements, general emails and Principal Newsletters.

Instant = Delivered instantly after sending
Digest = One notification sent at approximately 6 p.m. for the entire day’s communications

Note that you can set your preference for both your school and district-level communications.

If you do not have the ParentSquare app already, you can download this free app from Apple or Google Play. You will receive push notifications through the app. Coming in September for General Announcements & Messages: ParentSquare will deliver push notifications rather than text notifications to those with the app.

Graphic explaining how to change notification settings in the ParentSquare app

Important: The School Alerts function is used for important messages like unexpected school closures, security messages and other time-sensitive notifications. Please leave both the school and district school alerts on.

Switching Between Accounts

New Account Management Process

In July of 2025, ParentSquare changed how certain users manage their accounts. If you are a staff member and a parent who uses ParentSquare at your child's school district, please note the following important changes:

Switching between accounts is now available. You will be able to sign in to multiple accounts and switch between them.
If you have previously had an account merged across roles or districts (e.g., parent and staff combined), ParentSquare automatically separated them into individual accounts if they no longer adhered to new merge logic. You have remained signed into their highest permission account (e.g. staff) and can use the account switcher to add another account and sign into their other account(s), like a parent account.
If your accounts still adhere to the new merge logic (ie: multiple staff accounts in a district), your accounts were not unmerged, and for those accounts, you will continue to move between accounts as you have previously.

Accounts That Cannot be Merged

Account Switch Video Tutorial

How to Combine/Merge Accounts in ParentSquare

Depending on your role(s), you can combine your multiple accounts in ParentSquare. Below are the types of counts that can and cannot be merged:

Accounts That Can be Merged

Parent accounts within or across districts
Guest accounts within or across districts
Student accounts within a district
Staff accounts within a district

When it Makes Sense to Merge an Account

Parents share an email or home phone: their accounts will automatically link if they are listed with shared contact information.
User is missing a student or school from their main account: they have a second account for student or school that can be merged.

There are 4 ways to combine accounts:

From an invitation email
When verifying contacts
By using My Accounts
By requesting your password to be reset

Use Link on Email Invitation

Click link in email, Sign in to Combine Existing Account
Sign in to your other ParentSquare account.
Select name to use on your account and click Combine Accounts.
Your accounts are now combined. The next time you log in to ParentSquare, you can access your account using any* of the associated emails or phone numbers on your combined account. *Note: Staff must sign in with the email or phone number associated with their staff account.

Combine Accounts When Verifying Contacts

Web Browser

If you have more than one contact card, and click Yes, Merge This Contact on each card, your contacts will automatically be merged into one account. ParentSquare allows a user to have multiple emails and phones.

ParentSquare Mobile App

If you have more than one contact card, and tap Yes, Merge This Contact on each card, your contacts will automatically be merged into one account. ParentSquare allows a user to have multiple emails and phones.

Use My Accounts

Web Browser

Log in to your main ParentSquare account.
Click your name in upper right and select My Account.
Click Combine with another account
If there are any accounts matching your verified email(s) or phone(s), a page with recommended users will appear.
1. Click Combine Accounts, confirm any additional contacts on the account, and click Combine Accounts.
2. If you do not see the account you want to combine, click combine another account.
Log in to your other ParentSquare account.
Select name to use on your account and click Combine Accounts.
Your accounts are now combined. The next time you login to ParentSquare, you will be able to access your account using any* of the associated email addresses or phone numbers on your combined account. *Note: Staff must sign in with the email or phone number associated with their staff account.

ParentSquare Mobile App

Log in to your main ParentSquare account. Note: Staff must log in with the email or phone number associated with their staff account.
Tap menu in upper left, select Account then Combine Accounts.
Sign in to your other ParentSquare account.
Select name to use on your account and click Combine Accounts.
Your accounts are now combined. The next time you login to ParentSquare, you will be able to access your account using any* of the associated email addresses or phone numbers on your combined account. *Note: Staff must sign in with the email or phone number associated with their staff account.

Request Password Reset

Web Browser

From the ParentSquare sign in page, http://www.parentsquare.com/signin click Forgot Password under the Password field.
Enter the email or phone number you think is on both accounts and click Go.
If you entered a cell phone number, you will receive directions to reset your password via text. If you entered an email address, you will receive an email from ParentSquare. Click Reset your password.
Select the account for which you would like to update the password, click Update Password.

ParentSquare Mobile App

On the sign in page (when signed out of the app) enter the email or phone number you think is on both accounts.
Tap Continue.
Tap Forgot Password.
Enter verification code sent to your email or phone.
Select the account for which you would like to update the password.