What is the Parent Portal?
Parent Portal was launched as part of Bark's mission to keep kids safe online 24/7. We wanted to make sure that alerts were not missed during times when school administration may not be as available as during school hours, which is why we strongly recommend inviting parents and families in helping schools during these times.
The Bark for Schools Parent Portal is a free and complementary feature of the Bark for Schools monitoring service. It unites schools with families to pick up alerts after hours, during weekends, and over school vacations. Families can use bark.us on any device to view alerts. We also have an app available on Android and iOS where they can also check on alerts and manage their account.
Why is Parent Portal important?
Parent Portal allows schools to enlist the support of parents and guardians to receive alerts about their children after hours and during breaks. As you know, online activity doesn't stop when the bell rings. Administrators can't be available 24/7/365 to respond to severe alerts, which is why we feel the school/family/community partnership is so essential. Enabling Parent Portal is a positive step toward more comprehensive monitoring to keep students safer online.
Why does Bark believe Parent Portal is essential?
Bark’s mission is to protect as many children as possible on their devices and accounts. Uniting with your parents greatly reduces the chance that a serious threat could slip through the cracks.
Is this for every student in my school/district?
Not in every case. Though many schools/districts have enabled the Parent Portal for all of their students and families, some administrators have enabled the system only for children they may be most concerned about or who are considered high risk. Often, these parents are already part of a broader discussion with your extended team. Check out our guide for tips on setting up a pilot test of Parent Portal.
Are you going to spam/sell to parents?
No. While there is a clear upgrade path to our premium Bark for Families product if a parent is concerned enough about their child's online experience, Bark will not spam parents with emails. Parent Portal is here as another free safety net for your school or district. If you are concerned about a student’s behavior on your school-provided accounts, you may wish to suggest they upgrade to the expanded coverage.
For more information on Bark for Families, reference the video below. You may also reach out to us!
How do I set up Parent Portal?
If you are a Super Admin, you can follow the link here to set up Parent Portal. You can also reference this guide for help with your implementation of Parent Portal.
We also recommend you take a look at our Best Practices document.
How do I adjust the alerts parents/guardians receive?
You can follow the link here to adjust Parent Portal settings. Parents can receive alerts “Anytime,” which is the same frequency as schools, or you can select that they only receive alerts “After Hours,” which is 3pm to 8am each day. This includes weekends and holidays, so please note that we suggest setting the Parent Portal to “Anytime.”
What does a parent/guardian see in an alert?
Bark alerts let parents know why the online activity was flagged (depression, sexual content, cyberbullying, etc.) and include a “snippet,” which is a concise view of why Bark flagged this particular item, along with where it originated (Gmail, Google Drive, etc).
We also include a link to helpful tips on how parents can talk to their child about the alerts. Parents and guardians can only view alerts for their child. We take data security very seriously and want to protect each child’s information. The only time a parent would see another child’s name is if it was included in the message that is flagged, as in “Jessica said…”
Does Bark offer support to parents/guardians?
Absolutely! Families can reach our team at any point via the Android app, iOS app, or our website. Bark Support is available every day of the year.
We also have the following resources available for parents: Parent Portal Resources for Families
If parents/guardians are separated, can Bark alert both parties?
Yes, you can invite each parent to their own Parent Portal account. They can access their account via bark.us and via the Android or iOS app.
If a parent/guardian loses custody, can we remove access to alerts?
Our team is ready to help with any adjustments an account may require. Please reach out to us.
