According to the current attendance policy, students with at least three unexcused absences per quarter receive an “N†for that term. After students skip class twice, teachers notify housemasters and either e-mail or call a parent to inform him or her of the situation. A new pilot program for next year, however, would instead inform parents of unexcused absences with an automatic e-mail message. This electronic program is an option on ParentConnect, a system that connects to the SMS system currently used by South teachers to enter term grades, midterm comments and attendance. Parents would have a username and password that would allow them access to their child’s attendance, as well as term grades and midterm comments.
Though the current system does not provide a perfectly seamless method of informing parents about their child’s absences, a new, more stringent system is still not necessary. Before piloting this program, the administration should first try to alter the current system to make it more effective. As of now, the system often permits students who skip more than one class to stay below the radar and not seem to merit a call home. To remedy cases such as these, teachers should become more diligent and careful in taking attendance. Additionally, teachers should notify housemasters or guidance counselors following a student’s first skip, so that a second skip would be noticed by the administration.
There is a possibility that in the near future, ParentConnect could allow parents access to all major grades that their child earns. This use of the program in this way depletes the trust a parent has for their child. Such a system creates the assumption that students should not be trusted to manage their own time and education. High school students are not far from becoming adults, and at such an age we must learn what it means to take responsibility and ownership for our education. Though some students may profit now from the individualized attention of attendance and academic reports, extra supervision only hinders them in the long-run. In a few years from now, students will be accountable for themselves, their attitudes and their learning. Undoubtedly, more parent supervision is helpful for some, but access to every mark a student has received comes off as distrusting and unnecessary.
Though for students the more concerning aspect of the pilot is attendance alerts, parents have appeared more interested in having constant access to their children’s grades. With ParentConnect, parents who are more involved with their childrens’ academic performance could abuse their influence on their children, causing more stress and pressure than motivation. The students, teachers and general expectations at South already make this school an almost unbearably high-pressured environment. One of Principal Stembridge’s main goals is to lower stress, and this program would only heighten it.
With more people viewing students’ grades comes more outside influences and standards that students must try to resist. As high school students, we should be able to set and live up to our own standards, our own potential. Without exclusive access to grades, students cannot assert their independence in setting and achieving personal goals.
Though it is inevitable that students will struggle to meet academic standards, ParentConnect will not necessarily solve this issue. Already with the current policy, if a student is frequently skipping, parents are notified. If a student is failing classes, parents are notified. A similar, better-suited program would be one in which parent and guidance counselor can request access to such information. Even this system, however, is unnecessary. There are already resources that help parents to get involved in their child’s education, making ParentConnect simply overkill of a current policy.
