COLUMBIANA — The Columbiana School District wants to make communication more streamlined between staff, parents and students.

District Superintendent Dr. Don Mook provided information to the board of education this month outlining the communications app he recommends for that streamlining.

The app, apptegy, streamlines communication under one roof, he said.

Mook said that more technology is creating challenges when it comes to school districts getting information out to students, staff and parents.

Information is available on the district’s social media page, school website, district app, and many other places.

“Families have so many places to go to keep up with their students,” he said.

Too many application options result in app and platform overload, a loss of district identity and privacy and security risks, he said.

Streamlining services through one app, such as apptegy, would allow the district to have all of its communications in one place.

This app would feature access to the district website, school websites, district app, newsletters, social media, email, SMS texts, voice call, attendance, AI chatbot, and Intranet all in one place.

Mook said the app would also provide a two-way messaging solution integrated directly with your district app.

The idea is to leverage two-way communication to reach families on a daily basis within the Columbiana Clippers app and not require an additional place for parents or guardians to go, he explained.

Doing so would allow for complete district oversight, ensuring secure, district-monitored two-way communication between staff and families.

“Administrators retain oversight, promoting transparency, student safety, and compliance with communication policies,” he said.

Features include automated flagging, toxicity filters, platform circumvention, image and video moderation, and a moderation dashboard.

The company also provides one on one training and in-house services.