Families (Home)
🏠Join Our PTA! 🏫
Our Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) is a vital part of the Roxbury school community. By joining the PTA, you'll have the opportunity to support student activities, strengthen connections between home and school, and help create memorable experiences for our students. Whether you can volunteer regularly or simply attend a few meetings each year, your involvement makes a difference. Together, we can help our students thrive and make Roxbury an even stronger community. We invite all parents, guardians, teachers, staff, and community members to get involved!
Every voice matters, every helping hand counts, and every member helps make a positive impact on our school community.
How We Communicate
Our district uses ParentSquare for school communication, primarily with email, text, and app notifications. ParentSquare automatically syncs with our Student Information System to generate an account for each parent, using their preferred email address and phone number. We encourage parents to access their accounts so they can download the mobile app and update their preferences for when and how they are notified.
ParentSquare is a safe, secure, and modern approach to communication and collaboration between school and home.
What is ParentSquare?
ParentSquare is a unified communication platform that offers a wide variety of tools which allow administrators and teachers to more effectively communicate and engage with families and students.
Some features include:
- Mass notifications and urgent alerts with two-way communication
- Mobile app for administrators and parents (iOS and Android)
- Attendance notifications
- Teacher and classroom communication
- Direct Messaging with two-way translation
- Appointment Sign Ups (parent-teacher conferences, technology pick-ups)
- Calendar and RSVP
- Volunteering and classroom supply sign-ups
- And so much more!
As a registered parent, you can:
- Receive messages from the school and district via phone, email, text, or app notification
- Choose to receive information as it comes or all at once with a daily digest at 6pm
- Communicate in your preferred language
- Comment on school postings to engage with your school community
- Direct message teachers, staff, and other parents
- Participate in group messages from schools and teachers
- Sign up for parent-teacher conferences
- Sign up to volunteer, donate school supplies, and more all from your desktop or mobile device
Video Tutorials
English
Spanish
Frequently Asked Questions
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On the app, enter your email or cell phone number. It should match what is in the school's information system or database.
On the web, click Sign In, then under Register, put your email or phone number and click Go.
If the email or phone number is not recognized by ParentSquare, parents can follow directions to request access or call the school office and ask them to update the contact information.
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ParentSquare allows users to customize their notifications based on notification type and select their preferred delivery method for each school. The Instant setting will send all post notifications in real-time. The Digest setting sends direct messages, alerts, and time-sensitive posts instantly, but sends all non-time sensitive posts at the end of the day, reducing the number of notifications you receive daily. (We recommend the Digest setting.) Learn more about managing notifications.
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Parents can update their language preference for their account. Once they have done this, ParentSquare will automatically translate any communication to them in their selected language. This translation will also occur when the parent sends a message to a staff member. Learn more about ParentSquare translations and how to set the language preference.
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- Activate Your Account
Click the link in your activation email/text, or sign up on the ParentSquare website or via the ParentSquare app.
- Download App
It’s easy to stay in the loop with the ParentSquare app. Download it now. iOS | Android
- Set Preferences
Click your name in the top right to set your notification and language preferences.
- Get Photos & Files
Click Photos & Files in the sidebar to access pictures, forms, and documents that have been shared with you.
- Appreciate Posts
Click Appreciate in your email/app or website to thank a teacher or staff member for a post.
- Comment or Reply
Click Comment in the app or on the website to privately ask a question about the post that your teacher or school sent.
- Participate
Click Sign Ups & RSVPs in the sidebar to see available opportunities. Click the bell on top to check your commitments.
- Join a Group
Click Groups in the sidebar to join a group or committee at your school to participate or to stay up-to-date.
- Find People
Click Directory in the sidebar to find contact information for school staff.
- Get in Touch
Click Messages in the sidebar to privately get in touch with staff and teachers.
- Activate Your Account
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Yes. All parents have a ParentSquare account. ParentSquare is the primary tool for district and school communication. Individuals who do not activate their account in ParentSquare will still receive an email digest at the end of each day that communication is sent out to them. In the event of emergencies, phone calls will be sent as well.
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Click the Unsubscribe link on your email from ParentSquare, or reply STOP to the SMS from ParentSquare to stop notifications to your email or phone.
**** If the email or phone number is not recognized by ParentSquare, parents can call the school office attendance/registar’s clerk and ask them to update the contact information.
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EDUCATION LAW 2-D BILL OF RIGHTS FOR DATA PRIVACY AND SECURITY
Parents (includes legal guardians or persons in parental relationships) and Eligible Students (student 18 years and older) can expect the following:
- A student’s personally identifiable information (PII) cannot be sold or released for any commercial purpose. PII, as defined by Education Law § 2-d and FERPA, includes direct identifiers such as a student’s name or identification number, parent’s name, or address; and indirect identifiers such as a student’s date of birth, which when linked to or combined with other information can be used to distinguish or trace a student’s identity. Please see FERPA’s regulations at 34 CFR 99.3 for a more complete definition.
- The right to inspect and review the complete contents of the student’s education record stored or maintained by an educational agency. This right may not apply to parents of an Eligible Student.
- State and federal laws such as Education Law § 2-d; the Commissioner of Education’s Regulations at 8 NYCRR Part 121, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act ("FERPA") at 12 U.S.C. 1232g (34 CFR Part 99); Children's Online Privacy Protection Act ("COPPA") at 15 U.S.C. 6501-6502 (16 CFR Part 312); Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment ("PPRA") at 20 U.S.C. 1232h (34 CFR Part 98); the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (“IDEA”) at 20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq. (34 CFR Part 300); protect the confidentiality of a student’s identifiable information.
- Safeguards associated with industry standards and best practices including but not limited to encryption, firewalls and password protection must be in place when student PII is stored or transferred.
- A complete list of all student data elements collected by NYSED is available at Student Data Inventory | New York State Education Department and by writing to: Chief Privacy Officer, New York State Education Department, 89 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12234.
- The right to have complaints about possible breaches and unauthorized disclosures of PII addressed. Complaints may be submitted to NYSED at http://www.nysed.gov/data-privacy- security/report-improper-disclosure, by mail to: Chief Privacy Officer, New York State Education Department, 89 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12234; by email to privacy@nysed.gov; or by telephone at 518-474- 0937.
- To be notified in accordance with applicable laws and regulations if a breach or unauthorized release of PII occurs.
- Educational agency workers that handle PII will receive training on applicable state and federal laws, policies, and safeguards associated with industry standards and best practices that protect PII.
- Educational agency contracts with vendors that receive PII will address statutory and regulatory data privacy and security requirements.