Alex Wolf, the district communications lead, told the Pelham Union Free School District Board of Education on Nov. 5 that a 2022–23 communications audit and an ensuing strategic plan have guided a series of changes meant to improve how the district shares information with staff, students and the public.

"We are at 100% contactability," Wolf said, describing ParentSquare’s nightly sync with the student information system and reporting that at least one parent in every household is now reachable through the platform. Wolf added that ParentSquare automatically translates messages into recipients’ home languages, and that the district has made the re‑administered SCOPE survey available in English, Spanish and Albanian.

The audit — performed with the National School Public Relations Association — identified strengths (strong educational reputation and community partnerships) and shortcomings (inconsistent written plans and mixed perceptions about email volume). The district followed the audit with a strategic communications plan and several operational changes, Wolf said, including a crisis communications playbook, an employee newsletter, regular principal newsletters and training for administrators and teachers to improve internal messaging.

Wolf asked residents and non‑household stakeholders to take the SCOPE survey, which is open through Nov. 17. He said the district mailed a postcard with a QR code to every home, is working with community partners to distribute the survey link, and has already collected roughly 550 student responses at the high school.

Superintendent Dr. Champ and several trustees praised the progress. "We have a real expert," Board President [Dr. Champ/board reference] said during discussion, thanking Wolf for the work and for leveraging professional networks to benchmark practices.

The presentation also outlined next steps: continuing a regular cadence of district and school newsletters, producing a short mailed newsletter (Pelham Focus), investigating a website refresh, and keeping communications staff capacity under review. Wolf said ParentSquare analytics show app downloads above 50 percent, and that the district is tracking read rates and other engagement measures to refine its approach.

The board did not take action on Wolf’s presentation but encouraged broad participation in the survey to inform future communications planning.