By Rhys Baker

USD 379 Clay County Schools has an app for that. Seven years ago, when smartphones became more common, USD 379 started a district app for smartphones. The app gives users another way to access district information. The app is easy to use and easily accessed if you use your smartphone instead of a laptop. Communications Coordinator at USD 379 Clay County Schools, Matt Weller, says, “The app has a feed that shows all of the news stories that we are putting out, which hopefully, with my role, we are noticing there are a lot more of those. All events going on in the district are there. You can select the individual schools that your kid is at, so you don’t have to see all the events; you can see just the schools you care about.

Like most apps, the app is constantly being updated. Weller talks about what changes have already been made for this school year, “New this year, actually, we have added all certified staff of every single building, and you can select that person if you want to email them. The app also shows pictures of them, so if nothing else, you can say, I’m not sure who my kids’ staff is at Garfield Elementary. Now you can go there and look.”

Additional included information on the app lunch and breakfast menus for all schools, all documents from the district website, and information divided by school. Weller says the app is just a different format that is easier to navigate and all in one place. He has also added videos to the USD 379 website on how to use the app.