New Kent Charles City Chronicle

News for New Kent County and Charles City County, Virginia | March 29, 2024

Letter to the Editor: Believes New Kent schools need visuals to confirm student attendance

By Community Member | February 8, 2021 10:22 am

I believe that New Kent High School is not tracking attendance when you enroll your child to be at the school café to do virtual learning.

Kids can shut their cameras off, and anyone can log onto the Chromebook. As long as a child logs on, the school counts attendance. Even though your child can be enrolled, if your child does not show up and still logs onto the Chromebook, the school has no knowledge that the child is missing. As a parent, this is alarming.

I enrolled my child who was failing with virtual learning to attend the school café. My child showed improvement in his work and the mood for the short time he attended. During his time there, that’s when I discovered the issue of attendance. I called and left the school numerous messages when I discovered the issue and finally sent a letter to the school board.

Imagine what could happen if your child was not at school and was not the one logged onto the Chromebook. Kids deactivate their cameras and are not required to be viewed. In the end, we all want our kids to be safe.

Dana Grimes
Quinton