ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä Gazette-Mail education reporter Sierra Marling and Kanawha County Schools Superintendent Paula Potter discuss Potter's goals for the 2025-26 school year, as well as how parents can use a new KCS mobile app.
LAURA BILSON, SIERRA MARLING & SEAN McCALLISTER | Gazette-Mail
Kanawha County Schools has launched a new mobile app aimed at improving communication between the district and families — a key priority for new Superintendent Paula Potter.
The app, developed by education technology company Apptegy, rolled out in early July alongside a redesigned district website for KCS school-to-home communication. Apptegy is used by more than 5,000 school systems across the United States to help schools connect more easily with parents and the broader community.
Superintendent Paula Potter is shown in the Kanawha County school board office in ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä on July 24, 2025.
LAURA BILSON | Gazette-Mail
For Potter, these new tools are part of a broader effort to make communication more consistent, transparent and responsive.
“It takes a village to raise a child,†Potter said. “I want parents to know that we want to work with them, that we want them to be a part of the process of their students being better than we are as adults, we want them to accomplish more than we did, and that's what we're here for."
The free KCS app offers features designed to simplify access to school and district information. Its homepage includes a news feed and events calendar, with a sidebar menu that links to:
A staff directory
School menus
A document repository for important forms
A tool for submitting absence excuses, including the ability to upload doctors’ notes
Parents also can customize their experience by selecting which schools they’d like to follow — ideal for those with children in multiple schools.
Kanawha County Schools will host town hall meetings in each attendance area, with all meetings starting at 6 p.m. According to KCS Communications Director Chris Williams, bus transportation will be provided and flyers with bus stop locations and times will be shared online as the dates approach.
The meeting schedule is as follows:
Aug. 18: Riverside-area schools at Riverside High School, 1 Warrior Way, Belle
Aug. 19: Capital-area schools, Capital High School, 1500 Greenbrier St., ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä
Aug. 25: Sissonville-area schools, 6100 Sissonville Drive, ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä
Aug. 26: Nitro-area schools, 1300 Park Ave., Nitro
Aug. 28: South ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä-area schools, 1 Eagle Way, South ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä
Sept. 2: St. Albans-area schools, 2100 Kanawha Terrace, St. Albans
Sept. 4: George Washington-area schools, 1522 Tennis Club Road, ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä
Sept. 9: Herbert Hoover-area schools, 5096 Elk River Road, Elkview
These meetings will serve as open forums in which families may share questions, concerns and ideas directly with Potter.
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