School app debuts in Schenectady

District’s goal: to better connect with families

Anyone searching for information about the city school district or a particular school can now access it in the palm of their hand via the district’s new mobile app.

But if you prefer a computer or laptop, you’ll be happy to learn that the district website at a new address — www.schenectadyschools.org — is more user-friendly and intuitive.

“The goal here was to simplify things, but also to make it consistent, so you’re going to notice that the schools have the same design as the main district website, and the goal here is that schools will control the content on their pages,” Superintendent Anibal Soler Jr. said at last week’s Board of Education meeting during a presentation from the district’s communications department.

Both went live Wednesday. Keane Elementary School will be the first to test-drive the enhanced school-specific feature of the new website.

With it, district administrators and building principals can now send out an automatic call or push notification from their mobile device or the website, added Soler.

The app, which people can download from wherever they get their apps, is also Adacompliant for those with a disability or impairment and users can set the language of their choice.

“The biggest thing for me is it’s in their mobile device, and we know that most of our families are engaged with their internet through their mobile device, and so everything will become hopefully accessible for them,” said Soler.

He did not elaborate but said the district in the future plans to use the mobile app as a teaching or learning tool.