Jason Smith

Although Bob Trombley, a parent of two children in the Batavia City School District, has made requests to be able to communicate with teachers in ways other than the popular and standard ParentSquare app, he’s not certain his appeals are going anywhere.

Trombley addressed the school board during Monday’s meeting, and Superintendent Jason Smith responded that teachers can communicate with him via telephone and not just through the app as he said he's been told. 

"My hope is that this will be taken very seriously by Jason and the board, and that action on this will be done in a quick manner. I’ve had discussions with Jason previously about the app; I have not been satisfied with the outcome of those conversations. I think overall Jason is an approachable person, who generally does take action when he feels it’s required, I’m just not sure what they will decide with this,” Trombley said Tuesday to The Batavian. “I currently have two students in the district, and all throughout last year I was unable to get any communications from the app. I have called the schools individually and asked to speak with teachers and have absolutely been denied that ability and told all communication is through the app. I have requested paper copies of forms and so on, and have also been denied those from time to time with the statement ‘it’s on the app, you have to do it on the app.’”

The Batavian also reached out to Smith with followup questions about the matter.

You said that teachers should be responding to parents wanting to talk to them, so why was (Trombley) complaining, and why do you think the breakdown is that he and apparently others may believe it's only to be done via the parent app?

“Our admin and teachers are always available to speak to our families and community members individually — ParentSquare has not changed that. ParentSquare does provide a single communication tool for our families, schools, and district, but that is not the only means,” Smith said. “All staff members still utilize email, while ParentSquare is another option for direct communication via its messaging tool based on a parent’s preference. ParentSquare is used to post messages, urgent alerts, and general updates, and has been well-received by our families and staff. 

“No system is perfect and we are continually looking for ways to refine our use of this tool. We just completed our first year as a district using ParentSquare, and while I'm thrilled with the progress, of course there are always ways we can improve, and we intend to do so,” Smith said. “Our newly hired Director of Educational Technology Wendy Villone has prior experience with ParentSquare, and we look forward to her expertise as well. I want to point out a few other positive elements about ParentSquare that we’ve experienced during our first year of use.”

Those elements include: 

Unified Communication Platform: ParentSquare has streamlined our communication process by consolidating various channels into one platform. This integration has reduced confusion and improved efficiency for both staff and families.

Increased Reach: We're able to connect with 97% of our parents and guardians district-wide through ParentSquare. This level of reach was previously unattainable with traditional communication methods. For the remaining 3%, we've identified alternative ways to ensure they receive important information.

Enhanced Equity: The platform's automatic translation feature, supporting more than 100 languages, has significantly improved our ability to communicate with non-English speaking families. This feature ensures that all parents, regardless of their primary language, can access and understand important school information.

Real-Time Updates: The platform's immediate notification system ensures that parents receive timely information about school events, sports practices, emergencies, and other critical matters.

Customization: Parents appreciate the flexibility to customize how they receive notifications, allowing them to stay informed in a way that suits their preferences and schedules.

Enhanced Engagement Tools: Features like appointment scheduling, event sign-ups, and surveys have increased parent participation and engagement.

Improved Staff Experience: This past school year, we did a survey of our staff to find out how their experience with ParentSquare was going. We received a lot of helpful ( anonymous) feedback, but here are some quotes that stood out to me: "Parents who do not answer the phone for calls will message through ParentSquare all the time. I am able to send quick responses and communicate with parents so much easier than trying to contact them by phone.

“I appreciated Mr. Trombley’s public feedback and intend to continue our discussion on this topic,” Smith said. “I appreciate these comments as we seek to enhance and improve how we interact with families across BCSD.”

Trombley emphasized that he knows “without a shadow of a doubt” that he’s not the only one who has struggled to successfully use ParentSquare, and there are even parents who are “way more comfortable and well versed in technology who are having the same difficulties as I am,” he said.

He reiterated his Monday talking points (a video recorded by Trombley) about the district trampling his and others’ First Amendment rights of free speech and believes this setup is "the most restrictive form of communication with our school, not the least restrictive.”

“I do not intend to drop this at all. I am hoping for a hasty response from the district, and a hasty change to this policy,” he said. “I don’t think getting rid of the forced nature of this app is unreasonable. I do plan on pursuing this issue in a peaceful legal way to see it through. Ligation is not out of the question, however, I would hope we don’t get to that point.” 

The Batavian asked Smith if this was the first complaint of this type made in the district. 

Given Trombley’s complaints, and apparent experience with his child's teachers, do you plan to respond with your teaching faculty with any communication about using the app? Can or will you clarify how the app is to be used and how faculty can also communicate with parents that wish to communicate another way, especially for those that want to opt out of the app and who may have a learning disability, as he suggested?

“This is the first formal complaint we have received, however, we appreciate the feedback. We have surveyed our staff on their use of ParentSquare and will launch a similar survey to our families.,” Smith said. “With a new school year approaching, we always look to review, reassess, and refresh our communication expectations and guidelines across the district and school levels, and intend to do so again this year.  

“ParentSquare is fully compliant with all educational laws and regulations, and is widely used throughout our region and the state. You can find ParentSquare’s Privacy Policy here. To address Mr. Trombley’s comment about how ParentSquare uses our District’s data, please see the following.”

Sharing and Disclosure of Information

ParentSquare uses the data received from the School for the sole purpose of delivering products and services to the School. We do not rent, trade, or sell or otherwise distribute your information to any third parties and will only disclose information when allowed by FERPA and required a) by applicable laws or government orders or b) to maintain and operate our service or c) when authorized by the School.

No Advertising

ParentSquare does not use student or user records or data collected for targeted advertising, and no student profile is built by ParentSquare for reasons other than furthering School purposes.

In today’s highly technological world, texting has replaced phone calls, emails are standard versus traditional mail delivery, and apps, such as Batavia City School District’s ParentSquare, are common tools used by parents and teachers.

However, parent Bob Trombley says this app has been unproductive, ineffective, and downright illegal so far. He spoke to the school district's board on behalf of himself and fellow frustrated parents.

“Although the Parent Square app and many others like it are a seemingly convenient way to communicate for some parents, students, and staff, for many others, it is incredibly difficult to use or to even log into, or receive any relevant information about a parent or a guardian's child. It may be no surprise to you that many class action lawsuits for various reasons have started across the country involving apps that schools decide to use as innovation platforms between parents and teachers and faculty,” Trombley said during the board’s meeting Monday. “Just a simple Google cursory search, you find many, many stories of (eavesdropping on conversations). Although you can say Parent Square does not do that, or we have been assured that they don't do that, you cannot, with a clear conscience, make that statement of fact that they do not do that; you would be speaking to something that you're not absolutely sure of to say that those things weren't happening.

"An even bigger problem here is that by insisting that parents use this app … you're forcing parent citizens to use only your method of communication," Trombley said. "We don't know if it censors. We don't know if we have a guarantee that any grievances that we have will actually be accepted or make their way across the platform. We don't know if things are filtered out, as parents are saying. We just don't know; that's a massive problem.”

Beyond it being a problem, it’s a violation of the First Amendment, the Americans with Disabilities Act and the 14th Amendment, he said. He wanted to know about those parents who don’t have a device to use an app, and those with a learning disability that might have difficulty using the app. Or those who cannot afford internet access or are “seriously challenged by technology or the ability to understand.”

“You're operating under the authority of the state. You are abridging my privilege as a parent of freedom of speech to communicate the way I want, with staff, with faculty, with teachers,” he said. “You don't have that power. If you want to force faculty to communicate a certain way, you can do that, you pay them, you can't apply your policies to the public as a whole.

“I, personally, have not been able to communicate with my students’ teacher via this app since its existence in the district; my children's mother has had the same issues. I have spoken with many parents. They all have the same problem. We get logged out. We can't get logged back in. Then we don't get all the information. We get a flood of information. No one knows what's going on,” he said. “And in my experience, when I have called the school directly and asked to speak with a teacher, I've been told, ‘No, you're not allowed to speak with the teacher; we do everything through the app.’ When I have requested paper forms, no, sorry, it has to go through the app. Everything is on the app. This is unacceptable.” 

He added that some board members, “in an effort to show sympathy or empathy,” have shared with him that they have struggled with the app as well. He asked that something be done “right away” to fix this because every parent should have an opportunity to decide how to communicate with district faculty.

Superintendent Jason Smith wanted to clarify that the app was never meant to substitute other forms of communication. 

“Any time a parent calls, you will have the opportunity to speak with the teacher,” Smith said, as Trombley interjected that it hasn’t been his experience. “If that's the case, I'll look into that. But under no circumstances were parents meant to ever, you know, replace that phone call. So that's not the expectation. That's not our expectation. So just, for the record, if a parent calls and asks to speak with a teacher, you're always given an opportunity.”

The Batavian has asked for additional comments from Smith regarding the district’s policy about Parent Square and teachers' understanding of communication with parents. 

ParentSquare, per its website, is a simple platform for communications between home and school. ParentSquare is designed for whole-school adoption and collaborative use by district administrators, principals, school administrators, teachers, staff, parent leaders and parents at preK-12 districts and schools. Users can share messages about school logistics and student classroom learning along with pictures and files, volunteer requests and class supply lists, calendars and directory information.

ParentSquare collects two types of information: personal information your school knowingly chooses to disclose that is collected on an individual basis, and website-use information collected on an aggregate basis as you and others browse its website. The following information is also provided on the app's website:

Basic Information Your School Provides ParentSquare

• Admin Role: We use name, ID, title, phone number, email address, address, group memberships, school memberships and district memberships from school-provided data.
• Staff Role: We use name, ID, title, phone number, email address, address, group memberships, school memberships and district memberships from school-provided data.
• Teacher Role: We use name, ID, title, phone number, email address, address, classes, section, group memberships, school memberships and district memberships from school-provided data.
• Student Role: We use name, ID, address, gender, grade level, enrolled courses, other enrolled groups, extracurricular activities and family relationships from school-provided data. For schools using StudentSquare, this may include email addresses and phone numbers. 
• Parent/Guardian/Contact Role:  We use name, relationship to the student, phone number, email address, address, communication language, group memberships, school memberships and district memberships from school-provided data. from school-provided data.
• Emergency-Only Contact Role (if applicable): We use name, phone number, email address and any emergency contact information from school-provided data. 
• Guest/External Member Role: If provided, we use name, phone number, email address, address, group memberships, school memberships and district memberships from school-provided data.

Additional Contact Information Your School May Provide About Students

The School may also choose to provide additional student information such as their English language learning status, enrollment in free and reduced lunch programs, attendance records, lunch balances, bus routes, grades and assignments if the School is using the corresponding ParentSquare feature. 

Sharing and Disclosure of Information

ParentSquare uses the data received from the School for the sole purpose of delivering products and services to the School. We do not rent, trade, or sell or otherwise distribute your information to any third parties and will only disclose information when allowed by FERPA and required a) by applicable laws or government orders or b) to maintain and operate our service or c) when authorized by the School.

ParentSquare may acquire information (including Personally Identifiable Information or “PII”)  from the school SIS/SMS or other school systems, such as payroll systems, nutrition systems, fee systems, etc, through a School-requested integration.

ParentSquare provides links to external websites for purposes which are intended solely to support the school’s day-to-day operations.   The School or its users may post links within ParentSquare or StudentSquare to external websites for which we have no control.

Of all the locales seen so far — Cooperstown and the beverage trail, Myrtle Beach, Philadelphia, Niagara Falls, the must-see for all international visitors, Amish country in Ohio, and cities from Los Angeles to Boston — Hiroshige Yamabe quickly pinpointed his favorite place in America so far.

“Batavia, of course,” he said. 

Yamabe, whose American friends call Hiro, is getting to know Batavia and Western New York fairly well after his eighth visit this week. His first one was as exchange student from Tokyo, Japan when the Smith family hosted him — from parents Jim and Mary to son Jason — and they have forged a relationship that has endured more than three decades. 

Yamabe is director of procurement and strategic sourcing for Jacques Marie Mage, a luxury eyeglass and sunglass company. His job often takes him to California and Connecticut, which are nice to visit, but they’re not the same, he said, as Batavia’s homey — he needed some help with the phrasing — laudable appeal.

“So I feel, like, more relaxed, and they're something I expect, the ground on the earth's crust — salt of the earth,” he said Monday during his visit to Jason Smith’s Batavia home.

Yamabe has come to regard the Smiths as true friends and a second family, he said. And Batavia as his second home. Jason Smith met him as a fellow student and musician at Batavia High School, after his original host family didn’t work out. The Smiths agreed to take the teenager in, and he lived with them for about seven months. 

Since then, Jason has visited him in Japan, attended his wedding, and Yamabe in turn went to Jason’s wedding, and has made several return trips to a Smith residence — whether it be the parent’s home, Jason’s apartment and now at Jason’s own family home. 

This trip was one of a culinary experience — touring many local haunts, including Eli Fish Brewing Company, Rancho Viejo, Miss Batavia Diner, Cinquino’s, Southside Deli and Avanti Pizza & Wood-Fired Kitchen, which serves up huge slices, Jason said, in Medina.

The reunited classmates also visited the late Jim Smith’s grave, as Yamabe has been kept up to date on all of the family news through the decades, and called Jason once he learned his host dad had died earlier this year.

“They made a decision that they accept me. It was my pleasure to be hosted,” Yamabe said. “So I'm very pleased with that. I always like to think of, like, the family and all the friends here … I always think that's a good experience, is the love from the family here.” 

Mary Smith recalled how Yamabe’s first host family didn’t quite work out. She didn’t share the details but said that the high school principal reached out to Jason, a student at the time,  to see if perhaps his family would be able to help out. They stepped up and offered to host this visitor who eventually grew so close to the family that they didn’t want to see him go back to Japan.

“We had a big party for him and there’s a lot of crying kids, it was very sad when he had to go back,” she said. 

She remembered how he liked the Buffalo Bills, so they gave him a Bills jersey for Christmas — and he was “thrilled,” and how his Christmas cookies had to be bare, with no icing, since he’s not one for sweets. When it snowed, Yamabe would shovel the driveway right down to the nub of the blacktop, which seemed to impress the Smiths, she said. 

“It was like losing a family member,” when he returned to his home, she said.

They have exchanged gifts over the years — Mary has a curio cabinet full of Japanese keepsakes -- and Jason’s table had some goodies from this trip — a hand-crafted knife, one of the Japanese region’s specialties, and some candies, including Kit Kats, which are pronounced kitty katto, and mean triumph, Yamabe said. They are considered a good luck item to give to people, and the tiny wrapped packages even include lines to write messages to the recipient.

Of course, of all the tangible items, there are the memories of spending time together, trying each other’s cuisine — Yamabe enjoyed his first garbage plate — and meeting up with old friends, as Yamabe has done with BHS classmates. And when Jason and Hiro get together, they talk about their jobs (Jason is superintendent of Batavia City Schools), their wives and families and life in general. 

“We became good friends in high school. We're just kind of continuing naturally. And he came back and I've been there twice,” Jason said. “We just pick up where we left off.”

Press Release:

The Batavia City School District is proud to announce it is one of at least 165 school districts and the Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) in New York State to receive the Utica National Insurance Group's "School Safety Excellence Award" for 2023 at the Titanium with Honors level. 

The honor is presented annually and recognizes school districts' safety efforts as they work to help keep students, staff, and visitors safe. Batavia City School District officials received a certificate to commemorate the district's safety efforts and a $500 award for use in furthering those efforts from Utica National representatives. 

Utica National's School Safety Excellence Award Program has three levels—titanium, platinum, and gold—in which schools can earn a meritorious distinction by meeting specific criteria to enhance overall safety. 

Through the program, schools with their own transportation, schools with contract transportation, and BOCES are evaluated. Categories covered include bullying prevention programs, playground safety, and other areas, and are measured using specific, quantifiable surveys. 

“We’re proud and encouraged to receive this award from Utica National,” said Batavia City School District Superintendent Jason Smith. “The health, safety, and security of our students, faculty, staff, and community is our top priority. We’re consistently evaluating our programs, and this award will certainly go towards our continued efforts.” 

"Safety and health concerns continue to be a priority in our school districts," explained Brian Saville, Senior Vice President of Utica National's Educational Institutions Unit. "Districts that go 'above and beyond' to provide a safe, healthy, and focused culture for learning are to be applauded, and we're pleased to count Batavia City School District among them."

For more than 45 years, Utica National Insurance Group has kept kids and school staff safe and currently insures more than 300 school districts in upstate New York alone. 

Hosted by the Batavia City School District.

It’s trivia time for students at Batavia High School: who is a huge Buffalo Bills fan, an avid reader, a musician, runner and is a Bruce Springsteen fan?

If you were listening to this morning’s announcements, the answer is a no-brainer. Newly hired Superintendent  Jason Smith revealed those recreational activities during an on-air interview from the high school's main office. Smith is also happy to “talk books” of all kinds, listen to classic 1980s rock and roll, play his trombone in some local bands and spend family time watching the fourth season of Cobra Kai.

Aside from his personal passions, Smith is looking forward to returning to BHS as a 1990 graduate. 

“I have always been very proud of Batavia. I’m excited to have the opportunity to work with students, and to work with the faculty and staff,” he said. “My drive has gone from 40 minutes to four.”

As the former superintendent of Lyndonville Central School, Smith’s daily travel went north to Orleans County. He was there for the last 10 years, after serving as Elba middle and high school principal, and a teacher in Albion. After graduating from Batavia High School, Smith's college major was history, and he attended both Geneseo and Brockport State College.

According to Board of Education President Alice Benedict, Smith met some key characteristics that community members had sought, including being a hometown resident and not making Batavia a short stop on the way to another district. The board, with direction from Genesee Valley BOCES Superintendent Kevin Macdonald, conducted a search in late 2021 after former Superintendent Anibal Soler announced he was leaving.

 Smith brings with him a lifestyle philosophy he’d like to share with everyone he encounters.

“Going back to when I taught, I always believed in the concept of high expectations,” he said. “Raise the bar, set high goals. It’s our job as the adults to help achieve those high expectations.”

Smith began his career in 1994 in the Albion Central School District as a high school social studies teacher had various principal positions at Elba Central School from 2004 to 2011, and has been at Lyndonville Central from 2011 to present.

He received his Certificate of Advanced Study in Educational Administration and his Masters of Science in Education from the State University of New York College at Brockport. He is also a graduate of The State University of New York at Geneseo, where he received his Bachelor of Arts in History with a Minor in Sociology.

Monday was Smith’s first official day at the city school district. He and Interim Superintendent Scott Bischoping had previously reviewed district business, Bischoping said. Smith's first board meeting will be at 6 p.m. on Jan. 11 in the high school library. Board meetings will resume on the third Thursday of the month beginning in February. 

Top photo: New Superintendent Jason Smith answers questions during Monday morning announcements at Batavia High School. Above, Smith answers questions during announcements with Student Co-Mayor Mackenzie Harmon and high school Principal Paul Kesler Monday at the high school. Photos by Howard Owens.

Press Release

Batavia City School District’s Board of Education has reached a contractual agreement and has formally appointed Jason Smith as the district’s new superintendent. Smith is scheduled to start his new role on Jan. 3, 2022. 

“The Board of Education is thrilled to welcome Jason Smith as the new superintendent of the Batavia City School District. We’re confident that his years of previous superintendent and administrative experience will serve our district well, not to mention he’s a BHS grad himself,” Board of Education President Alice Ann Benedict said in a news release. “As a local Batavian with children in our district, Jason understands the unique challenges and opportunities within our community, and we’re certain he will be a strong and dedicated leader for our students, staff, and families.” 

Smith first thanked the board for “entrusting me with this tremendous opportunity.”

“As a proud BHS grad, I am thrilled to be returning to Batavia in this new leadership role. Batavia is a very special place to me, and I look

forward to working alongside the incredible and inspiring students, staff, and community members,” he said in the release.  “I can’t wait to hit the ground running in the new year.”  

A 1990 Batavia High School graduate, Smith has served as the Superintendent of Schools in the Lyndonville Central School District since 2011. He also held various principal positions in the Elba Central School district from 2004-2011. He began his career in 1994 in the Albion Central School District as a high school social studies teacher. 

Smith received his Certificate of Advanced Study in Educational Administration and his Masters of Science in Education from the State University of New York College at Brockport. He is also a graduate of The State University of New York at Geneseo, where he received his Bachelor of Arts in History with a Minor in Sociology.

Kevin MacDonald, District Superintendent of  Genesee Valley BOCES, served as the district's search consultant.

Submitted Photo of Jason Smith