Guidelines for Posting On ParentSquare
ParentSquare is our school’s online communication tool. It is a secure place for connecting with one another, posting questions, organizing events, sharing relevant information, requesting help, and anything else that helps build community spirit around our school. Think of it as a community bulletin board.
This community is not moderated, so if you post something, please assume that other people will see it. Here are some guidelines we’d like to follow as a school community:
Be Respectful
Please use a respectful tone and avoid ALL CAPS.
Remember that your message will be sent to many people, who are busy like you. Consider your topic’s applicability to others before posting, clearly state the issue in the subject line, and keep repeat posts to a minimum.
Assume we’re all people of goodwill doing the best for our kids. Differing opinions are expected and encouraged, but name-calling, disparaging remarks, and personal attacks are not.
If you have a concern with a teacher, staff member, or student, please address it privately rather than airing it in a public forum.
Avoid discussions about religion, politics, or other potentially inflammatory topics unless your post pertains directly to our school and is presented in a factual manner.
Be Responsible
Before posting, know that some people have opted into receiving email notifications for every post and comment. As such, please consider who is the most appropriate recipient of the info you want to share. Post to the entire school? Post to a smaller group? Or just send to a few individuals via private message.
Post about others as you’d have them post about you -- or your kids. Before you mention a child by name, ask yourself whether their parents would approve.
Use discretion when posting material outside of our school. Please don’t forward personal information expressed here to anyone outside the group unless you get permission.
Recommend local businesses, services, events, and activities (particularly those that support our school!), but don't use ParentSquare as your personal marketing platform (i.e., no advertising).
If you would like to sell or give away items in our community, please post them to the “Marketplace Community Group” and “NSSF Kids Stuff Exchange” groups created for this purpose - not the entire Community Group. Any parent can join or leave these groups at any time (go to Participate > Groups > Join). And please make sure anything that you do list for sale is related to families and school and that the item is accessible to most families.
A natural consequence for repeated behaviors of not adhering to our school’s norms can result in a parent not being able to post on ParentSquare. If you’ve been harmed by comments on ParentSquare or need to raise a concern, we encourage you to reach out directly (emily@newschoolsf.org / ryan@newschoolsf.org )
Though messages are not moderated before being published, the school administration or our Communications Committee may remove a post if it doesn’t fit these guidelines. There is no shortage of forums for political discussions and shopping, but there’s only one ParentSquare forum for our school. Let’s keep it helpful and courteous!