MUSD launches mobile app

The Maricopa Unified School District is now offering a new way for parents to stay up-to-date on school and district happenings.

A new mobile app has been developed as a means to connect with the community and make communication easier for people interested in district affairs.

“Most everybody is doing everything on phones now,” said Jack Wallbrecht, the district’s technology department director. “This is right in everybody’s pocket.”

The app, named MUSD#20, allows users to check district news, look over the district-wide calendar and view the district’s YouTube channel that broadcasts the governing board meetings. It also allows parents to check homework assignments, student grades and pay for student lunches.

The district released the app on Jan. 7. It can be used on an iPhone, iPad and Android phone or tablet.

“I’ve gotten some real great responses,” Wallbrecht said. “The community’s seeing that this is a good step forward.”

The free app has been downloaded 131 times since its debut, Wallbrecht said.

“That’s not too shabby for a little over a week,” he added.

The app, which Wallbrecht said cost under $5,000 to develop, is still being tweaked. The district plans to add a tip line feature so users can inform district personnel about a problem within the district.

“Say we have a sprinkler head broken at one of the schools and it’s spewing water,” Wallbrecht explained. Parents could take a photo of the sprinkler and submit a tip with the picture through the app. It would then go directly to the maintenance department.

Wallbrecht also hopes to develop an anonymous tip line feature that allows students to report bullying.

Wallbrecht is still developing one other feature for the app – a push notification service that will send an alert to a person’s phone. The district could send out an alert during an emergency, such as a school evacuation.  

Wallbrecht hopes to have both the tip and push notification features up and running in two weeks.

The app can be downloaded through the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

Wallbrecht said he is open to feedback and users are welcome to email him with suggestions at [email protected].

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