Staff Resources
Professional Development Leave & Travel
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Reimbursement for professional development, including hotels, meals, etc. You CAN claim your mileage for the PD on the travel reimbursement request form. You don't need a separate form for miles.
- Travel Reimbursement Request Employee Guide
- Professional Leave Request
- Frontline Absence
- Checklist for Professional Development Leave – July 1, 2026 or After
- Professional Development Travel Reimbursement Request – July 1, 2026 or After
- (ONE-WAY) Alabama Mileage Chart
- PowerSchool Professional Learning
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Reimbursement for things such as athletic events or local work related travel that is not for a conference or PD.
- (ONE-WAY) Alabama Mileage Chart
- Mileage Reimbursement Request – July 1, 2026 or After
- Trip Log
Staff Resources: Purchase Orders
Work Orders
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Request & Permission Forms
- New Employee Onboarding: Getting a New Hire into Our Systems
- Payroll Packet Information
- Payroll Details
- Pay Dates
- 2026-2027 Salary Schedule
- Frontline Account Creation Instructions
- Frontline Absence-Time Management
- Time Clock Instructions
- ESS – Employee Self Service Guide
- ESS Portal
- Paid Parental Leave Questionnaire
Documents & Forms
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Paid Parental Leave Questionnaire
FMLA Rights & Responsibilities
Paid Parental Leave Certification Form
Continuous Female Written Plan - Paid Parental Leave
Continuous Male Written Plan - Paid Parental Leave
Continuous Adoption Written Plan – Paid Parental Leave
Intermittent – Birth, Stillbirth, Miscarriage Written Plan – Paid Parental Leave
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As a convenience to our employees, Houston County Schools provides voluntary benefits via payroll
deduction. In an effort to streamline our process and to improve our overall employee benefit plans, we
have established a Houston County Benefit Contact Guide. -
American Fidelity benefits help protect you and your family, and enrollment is your opportunity to review your options and make sure everything is set up correctly.
Meeting with American Fidelity is quick and easy and helps ensure your coverage and payroll deductions are accurate. A few minutes now can bring peace of mind for the year ahead.
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Learn what benefits are available to you by Colonial Life
Open Enrollment April 20 - May 15, 2026
Human Resources Links
Employment
Employees
Resources
- Houston County Employee Handbook
- Houston County Schools Policy Manual
- Job Description Manual
- 2026-2027 Salary Schedule
- Volunteer Background Check Information
- Teachers' Retirement System Member Handbook
- Public Education Employees' Health Insurance Member Handbook (PEEHIP)
- Certification Renewal Requirements
- PowerSchool PD Google Form
- HCS Sick Leave Bank And Catastrophic Leave Guidelines
What is ParentSquare?
ParentSquare is a unified communication platform that offers a whole host of tools which allows district, school administrators and teachers to more effectively communicate and engage with families and students.
Some features include:
- Mass notifications and urgent alerts with two-way communication
- Mobile application for administrators and parents (iOS and Android)
- Attendance notifications
- Teacher and classroom communication
- Direct Messaging with two-way translation
- Appointment Sign Ups (parent-teacher conferences, technology pick-ups)
- Calendar and RSVP
- Volunteering and classroom supply sign-ups
- And so much more!
As a registered parent, you can:
- Receive messages from the school and district via phone, email, text, or app notification
- Choose to receive information as it comes or all at once with a daily digest at 6pm
- Communicate in your preferred language
- Comment on school postings to engage with your school community
- Direct message teachers, staff, and other parents
- Participate in group messages from schools and teachers
- Sign up for parent-teacher conferences
- Sign up to volunteer, sign up to donate school supplies, and more all from your desktop or mobile device
Frequently Asked Questions
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On the app, enter your email or cell phone number. The email and/or cell phone number should match what is in PowerSchool, the school's information system database.
On the web, click ‘Sign In’, then under ‘Register’ section, put your email or phone number and click '“Go”.
If the email or phone number is not recognized by ParentSquare, parents should contact the school and request contact information to be updated in PowerSchool.
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ParentSquare allows users to customize their notifications based on notification type and select their preferred delivery method for each school. The Instant setting will send all post notifications in real-time. The Digest setting sends direct messages, alerts, and time-sensitive posts instantly, but sends all non-time sensitive posts at the end of the day, reducing the number of notifications you receive daily. (We recommend the Digest setting.) Learn more about managing notifications.
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Parents can update their language preference for their account. Once they have done this, ParentSquare will automatically translate any communication to them in their selected language. This translation will also occur when the parent sends a message to a staff member. Learn more about ParentSquare translations and how to set the language preference.
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- Activate Your Account
Click the link in your activation email/text, or sign up on the ParentSquare website or via the ParentSquare app.
- Download App
It’s easy to stay in the loop with the ParentSquare app. Download it now. iOS | Android
- Set Preferences
Click your name in the top right to set your notification and language preferences.
- Get Photos & Files
Click ‘Photos & Files’ in sidebar to access pictures, forms, and documents that have been shared with you.
- Appreciate Posts
Click ‘Appreciate’ in your email/app or website to thank a teacher or staff member for a post.
- Comment or Reply
Click ‘Comment’ in app or website to privately ask a question about the post that your teacher or school sent.
- Participate
Click ‘Sign Ups & RSVPs’ in the sidebar to see available opportunities. Click bell on top to check your commitments.
- Join a Group
Click ‘Groups’ in the sidebar to join a group or committee at your school to participate or to stay up to-date.
- Find People
Click ‘Directory’ in the sidebar to find contact information for school staff.
- Get in Touch
Click ‘Messages’ in the sidebar to privately get in touch with staff and teachers.
- Activate Your Account
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Yes. All parents have a ParentSquare account. ParentSquare is the primary tool for district and school communication. Individuals who do not activate their account in ParentSquare will still receive an email digest at the end of each day that communication is sent out to them. In the event of emergencies, phone calls will be sent as well.
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Click “Unsubscribe” link on your email from ParentSquare or reply STOP to the SMS from ParentSquare to stop notifications to your email or phone.
**** If the email or phone number is not recognized by ParentSquare, parents can call the school office and ask them to update contact information in PowerSchool.
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