Metro Nashville Schools first to partner with popular social media site

The online social network Nextdoor — commonly used to find lost pets, report crime or give away furniture — is adding a new function in Nashville: connecting neighborhoods with their public schools.

Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools is the first school district in the nation to partner officially with Nextdoor.

“Metro schools are next door to everyone, and we are dedicated to being good neighbors,” said schools Director Jesse Register. “It’s another great tool in our toolbox to help us strengthen community engagement, particularly around the issues that matter to neighbors the most.”

Under the partnership, Nashville school officials may use Nextdoor to inform residents about important meetings, school events, school needs and information that can affect surrounding neighborhoods, such as construction projects.

Nashville Mayor Karl Dean’s Office of Neighborhoods began partnering with the site in 2013 with great success. “I appreciate any tool that results in greater community involvement in our schools and awareness of the wonderful things happening in them,” Dean said in a news release.

With 85,000 students, Metro Nashville Public Schools is the nation’s 42nd largest public school district.

Visit the district’s Nextdoor site here.