APS website to get parents more info

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - "Ummm, it was OK."

Most parents have heard that before when they ask their kids how there school day was.

Now Albuquerque Public Schools has decided to do something to help those parents find out if their child's school day really was OK.

The school board voted Wednesday night to give parents real-time updates on everything their child is doing or not doing.

APS mom Jennie Gonzales likes the idea.

She said it is tough to know what is going on with her teen when she is at work at her barber shop downtown.

Gonzales said when she gets home she does not always get a straight answers from her teens about their school day.

"You ask the children today in our society 'How was your day?' and they say, 'Fine,'" Gonzales said. "OK, what is their definition of fine?"

But APS parents will be able to know just about everything that happened at school with a new feature on the district's website.

Shayne Kendall, director of APS Student Information Systems said parents will be able to log on and check their child's grades on tests, their attendance, schedules and if they have gotten into any sort of trouble.

He said some high schools and middle schools but not all of them already have a program like this. No elementary school has it.

Kendall said the results are fast, too. A parent can find out by lunch if their kid was late to school that morning.

"Parents can get involved very, very easily and see what their child is doing on a real-time basis," Kendall said.

Gonzales said with a busy work day, this will be a huge help.

"It keeps the parents informed," Gonzales said. "This way they have that connection with the school."

Moms like Gonzales will have to wait a bit to log on to check up on their students.

APS said the program won't be up and running for more than a year and a half.

The software program the APS board approved Wednesday night will not come cheap.

It will cost the district more than $2 million.