Schools hope to bridge parent-child gap

For parents who want to keep closer track of their children’s school performance, this one’s for you.

Starting next semester, Coeur d’Alene parents will be able to check grades, attendance, class schedules and discipline records online.

“Students will be more accountable. Parents will be more connected,” said John Brumley, principal at Lake City High School in Coeur d’Alene. “It’s probably going to make for some pretty entertaining supper conversations.”

This relatively new technology has been popping up in several area schools in the past two years. Central and East Valley districts have a similar program, as does Deer Park. Post Falls is trying to set up a program by the end of the year; the Spokane and Lakeland districts are aiming to have one in place in the next couple of years.

Brumley hopes this option will help bridge the gap parents sometimes feel when their child gives single-word answers to questions like: How was school?

“Good communication is key in the success of their kids,” he said.

The program will allow parents to become aware of potential problems before they escalate, Brumley added. It will also help parents become more informed about their child’s daily activities – including truancy or a missed assignment.

Attendance and discipline information, which are collected at the district level, will be updated daily. Grades and assignment information will be updated every two to three weeks to start with; individual schools will decide whether to increase that frequency later.

The district is starting the program with a few dozen parents right now. One of the things the district will pay attention to is teachers’ workloads – whether this program will increase or decrease them.

Starting in the spring, parents can register for the program by filling out information on a Web site, then presenting identification at their child’s school to get a login and password.

Predictably, Lake City High students had varying reactions when they learned about the software.

“That’s a terrible idea,” said senior Michael Wyatt. “I don’t want my parents being that nosy. It’s my education.”

But Kate Henry, also a senior and the student body president, said the information is available to parents anyway; the Internet just makes it easier for them to get.

Plus, Henry added, if students know their parents can access their records with the click of a mouse, they might be better at sharing information.

Parents were more universally in favor of the idea.

“It’s important to stay connected,” said Helen Hanna, the mother of a Lake City junior and sophomore.

The prevalence of the Internet and cell phones has changed the nature of childhood, Hanna said. “That gives our teenagers a lot of independence and a lot of alone time,” which can create a lot of unknowns for parents, she added. “Being involved now is more important than it ever has been.”

The timeliness was a big positive for Heidi Haller, whose son is a sophomore. His privileges are tied to his school performance, so up-to-date information would be helpful, Haller said. Six-week progress reports are about two weeks old once they reach parents, during which time a student’s grade could have risen or fallen.

Haller, like many parents, is trying to balance between giving her son more room to prepare him for life, yet still wanting to keep tabs on him. She would encourage him to pull up the information on the Web site for her, so they could celebrate achievements and address challenges together.

Catrin Stoddard would check the Web site if she thought her son, a junior, might be struggling in a class. It’s so easy to fall behind, Stoddard said, and a student’s grade drops after a certain number of missed assignments. Parents can have more impact if they know earlier.

“The more we know about our kids, the better,” Stoddard said. “They might not think it’s in their best interest, but we know better.”