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Parent urges fixes to Schoology, asks for curriculum access and clarity on tardy/absence rules
Summary
Bonita Red told the McDowell County Schools board that Schoology has been unreliable, that parents cannot access curriculum/student editions, and that tardies appear to be recorded as unexcused absences on her child's report card; she also raised concerns about incentives that identify students by test score.
Bonita Red, a resident and parent, told the board that Schoology "has not worked the whole year," leaving parents unable to find grades for many classes and producing grade discrepancies between the online platform and report cards. "So that's why I am addressing about Schoology because it really needs to be fixed," she said.
Red also asked the district to provide clear access to curriculum and student materials, saying she was given only a teacher's edition ISBN and that she wants the student book for her son. She requested the starting I-Ready baseline and progress data, arguing parents "are entitled to have all of that data so that they can help their child." Red raised a separate concern about attendance recordkeeping, saying tardies had been recorded as unexcused absences on her son's report card in apparent conflict with county policy.
On testing and incentives, Red said incentives that allow students who score in a particular band to receive visible rewards can identify low- and high-scoring students to peers and staff. "If they're walking through the hall with an ice cream cone, I know they score 6 to 10," she said, calling the practice "test score identification." The board acknowledged the remarks and accepted the public comment; presenters and staff did not offer an immediate policy change during the meeting. The board may follow up in subsequent meetings or in communications from district administration.
