“This is a possible solution to a problem that I have encountered during my time here and that is that we as a district are not responsive to our community in an effective manner,” said Superintendent Krish Mohip during the May District 209 meeting of the Proviso Township High Schools board.
Mohip was referring to his recommendation that the board approve the implementation of K12 Insight’s Let’s Talk, a platform that will serve to better connect district families, staff, students and community members. The decision came during the May 13 board meeting.
“Many parents, staff members, and community partners have expressed frustration over delayed or inconsistent replies to emails, phone calls, and other inquiries,” Mohip said via agenda documents. “I want to acknowledge those concerns — and affirm that I take them seriously.”
The platform will serve as a “single, unified platform” where questions, concerns, ideas and requests for assistance can be submitted 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The platform will also have multiple language options to better serve the diverse Proviso community.
All inbound communication with the district will turn into a “unified service desk,” said Ellie Brown, a representative from K12, who presented to the board of education.
All three Proviso campuses will be able to use the platform within that “unified service desk.”
“Everything is going to be routed to the correct person in the district who will be able to answer that question or that comment or concern in a timely manner,” Brown said.
Let’s Talk will increase the efficiency and accountability of district communication, allowing for the request to receive a confirmation that it was received as well as tracking the progress of the inquiry.
“This is one solution where we can track the questions that are coming in, who they are coming in to and how quickly they are responding,” Mohip said. “The expectation is that each question that comes in there is going to have a response within 24 hours. We don’t have to solve that problem in 24 hours but we have to at least acknowledge it.”
The item was approved unanimously as part of the consent agenda.
Part of the mission of bringing Let’s Talk to Proviso D209 is implementing it as a “strategic solution” to help the district build trust.
Jennifer Barbahen, school board president, said the platform is going to be used to improve responsiveness and transparency between the district and the families of the community.
“We want to make it easier for students, families and staff to get the answer, to raise concerns and to be heard in real-time,” Barbahen said.
Let’s Talk will also have a chatbot option that will help streamline questions.
“It is generative AI,” Brown said, adding that it will not provide answers it doesn’t know but rather turn the submission into a form that is forwarded to the district.
According to district agenda documents, the K12 Let’s Talk platform will cost the district $38,227 for one term, ending in May 2026.
“When families and staff feel ignored, issues can escalate, leading to grievances, formal complaints or reputational damage,” district administrators said via agenda documents. “By tracking and responding to concerns early, the district can mitigate these risks and improve overall stakeholder satisfaction.”