Parent and teacher says move to Microsoft Teams hurt OSd279 online students; calls for more stakeholder input

Jennifer Schroeder, a parent and teacher who said she is affiliated with ISD 279 Online, used the audience participation period at the April 22 Osseo Public School District board meeting to urge the district to involve stakeholders before making operational changes to the online program.

Schroeder said the district moved classrooms from Google Meet to Microsoft Teams more than a year ago "without any input from those who teach and learn in this space every single day." She said she piloted Teams, raised concerns about how the platform affected synchronous learning and attendance, and saw students stop participating during the pilot. "The change to Microsoft Teams may have been intended to benefit the wider district," Schroeder said. "But it was not made with 279 Online in mind."

Schroeder asked the board to follow the principle "nothing about us without us" when designing or changing the digital learning environment for a program she described as different from traditional school sites. She said teachers and families received no substantive response when they raised concerns and that the switch created barriers for students in the online program.

No board action followed Schroeder's comments at the April 22 meeting. The district's public participation guidelines instruct the board and audience not to respond during public comment; Schroeder said she does not expect the remarks alone will reverse the decision but urged the board to include program-level stakeholders in future decisions affecting 279 Online.