Council Rock School District Sparks Real Conversations: 10,500 Students Backed by SmartSocial's Parent Education Program

Council Rock School District in Newtown, Pennsylvania is turning parent nights into turning points. Superintendent Dr. Andrew J. Sanko joined SmartSocial to bring live virtual events to the families of Council Rock’s 10,500 students — and the response has been remarkable. In a full-length podcast conversation, Dr. Sanko shared why he believes parent engagement is the missing link in digital safety education. ‘When kids learn how to drive, parents don’t just hand the keys over,’ he said. ‘The same principle applies to social media.’

SmartSocial’s live parent events sparked ‘raw and honest’ conversations families weren’t having before.

Before partnering with SmartSocial, many Council Rock families struggled to find the right entry point for conversations about social media, screen time, and online safety. SmartSocial’s interactive virtual events changed that. By presenting real-world examples — the apps teens are actually using, the risks they actually face, and the language kids use online — SmartSocial gave parents the vocabulary and confidence to open dialogue at home. Superintendent Dr. Andrew J. Sanko described the result as conversations that felt genuine and honest, the kind that don’t happen after a scripted school presentation, but do happen when parents feel informed and equipped.

Parents are paying attention and actively looking for ways to stay involved in their children’s digital lives.

One of the most powerful outcomes of Council Rock’s partnership with SmartSocial has been confirming what district leaders suspected: parents want to be involved, they just don’t always know how. Attendance and engagement at SmartSocial’s virtual parent events revealed a community eager for guidance on navigating social media alongside their children. From understanding TikTok’s algorithm to recognizing signs of online predatory behavior, Council Rock parents showed up ready to learn — and SmartSocial met them with practical, up-to-date content they could act on immediately.

Strong parent feedback reinforced the importance of the school-family partnership in online safety.

The response from Council Rock families — including parent Nicole Crawford, who shared her experience in a testimonial — underscored a key principle SmartSocial is built on: digital safety education is most effective when schools and families work together. When a school district signals that online safety is a priority worth investing in, parents take that signal seriously. Council Rock’s decision to bring SmartSocial into their community sent a clear message that protecting students online is a shared responsibility — and the enthusiasm from parents proved that message landed.