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Nestled in Vermont’s picturesque Mad River Valley, Harwood Unified Union School District (HUUSD) serves approximately 1,800 students from pre-K through grade 12. The district stretches from Waterbury to Warren, surrounded by ski resorts and rural charm. As Assistant Director of Education Technology, Nathan Gingras brings more than a decade of experience in educational technology to the district. After years of working as a middle school language arts teacher and leading technology efforts at another Vermont district, Gingras joined Harwood Unified in 2022 and quickly identified areas in need of improvement.
Challenge
Before adopting ClassLink, the district faced persistent hurdles in two critical areas: rostering educational apps and managing Google Workspace accounts. “We were racking our brains,” Nathan recalls. “We had three different individuals rostering apps, and onboarding and offboarding staff through Google was incredibly manual.” The district needed a single platform that could streamline both tasks—and do so with reliability and security.
Solution
After weighing options, Harwood chose ClassLink for its unified platform and strong reputation for support. The district deployed OneSync to automate account provisioning and deprovisioning directly from their SIS, eliminating manual steps and reducing errors. “It’s hard to quantify the hours saved,” he reflects, “but it’s been immense.”
With Roster Server, the team moved from juggling multiple rostering methods to managing everything from one centralized place. LaunchPad became the go-to portal, especially for younger students who now log in with QR-coded QuickCards. “K–2 staff say it’s saved them a significant amount of time not having to fight with passwords,” Nathan shares.
Security and insight also improved. Data masking enabled granular control over what student data is shared with vendors, offering peace of mind especially after the district was impacted by a major breach. And Analytics+ gave them visibility into app usage across the district. “It helps us make informed decisions, especially during budgeting,” Nathan explains.
Results
Since implementing ClassLink, Harwood Unified Union School District has seen significant improvements in efficiency, security, and user experience across the board. The rostering process, once managed manually by multiple staff members, is now centralized through Roster Server, streamlining workflows and freeing up valuable time and resources. OneSync automates account provisioning and deprovisioning based on SIS data, eliminating the manual effort previously required to manage Google Workspace accounts and reducing the risk of oversight when staff leave the district.
LaunchPad has greatly simplified access to digital tools, particularly for younger students. With more than 30 regularly rostered applications available in one place, students across grade levels benefit from a consistent and reliable login experience.
Data security has also improved. With data masking, the district can ensure only the necessary data is shared with third-party vendors, helping to protect student privacy and comply with data governance best practices. ClassLink Analytics+ has added a new layer of insight by capturing usage data even when applications are accessed outside LaunchPad. These insights now inform software purchasing decisions, allowing the district to make data-driven choices about which tools to continue supporting and which to reevaluate, especially during budget season.
"You get rostering, onboarding, offboarding, account provisioning, security, and the support has just been phenomenal. It'd be difficult to find a product that can match what ClassLink has to offer in one package."