Board reviews education report: ParentSquare contract, student services agreements, Gizmos renewal and first reading of revised student handbook

The North Ridgeville City Schools Board of Education on May 6 heard an education report presenting a three-year contract to adopt ParentSquare as the districtwide mass communication platform, multiple vendor agreements for behavioral and therapeutic student services, a five-year renewal of Explore Learning’s Gizmos for grades 5–12, proposed updates to certain school fees and the first reading of a substantially revised student handbook.

The education report was presented by Miss Saxon, who said the district will transition to ParentSquare beginning with the 2025–26 school year “to enhance the consistency, security, and efficiency of communications with families.” The ParentSquare contract covers district, school and classroom communications and is proposed as a three-year agreement.

The report also listed several contracts for students’ behavioral and therapeutic services, including agreements with Winston Consulting and Counseling, Kids Link, PEFSTEPS Educational Group, ABA Outreach Services, Education Alternatives, Suburban Transportation and Theradigm Incorporated. An education staff member who spoke during the report said Winston Consulting is a private provider the district has contracted with to fill mental-health capacity lost in the community and that the vendor will serve students K–12 next year. The staff member also said Theradigm provides occupational therapy districtwide and has been a partner for about 15 years.

The board was told the vendor agreements support special-education placements and transportation when North Ridgeville City Schools cannot provide a student’s least-restrictive environment in-district. The presenter said Northeast Ohio’s variety of providers allows the district to match services to individual student needs when required.

Also included in the education report was a proposed five-year agreement with Explore Learning to continue Gizmos, interactive STEM simulations, for grades 5–12; and a set of updated school fees that the administration said reflect higher costs for technology, instructional materials, communications tools and parking.

The student handbook returned to the board as a first reading. Superintendent (name not stated) described the draft as the most significant revision in roughly 15 years and said it is aligned with a Neola template and incorporates board policy language directly into the handbook. The draft also separates building-specific procedures in end-of-handbook appendices and states the posted handbook will be current as of the approval date and updated online as policies change. The superintendent said the administration will post updated versions online and plans periodic notifications to parents (about twice a year) when substantive changes occur.

All items were presented as first readings; the board was told second readings and consideration for approval will occur at the district’s regular meeting on May 21.