School teachers cannot take away the keys to your students cars, they cannot turn off your student’s cell phone or make sure they have finished their homework. School teachers only have disciplinary authority over children during school hours and can only motivate students to participate — not make them.

Parents are the most instrumental force in a school system and that is why the announcement of the Selma City School System to bring student grades online for parents to view, really puts the school system one step forward.

At Tuesday’s school board work session the idea of bringing students grades online was discussed because school board member and parents Dr. Udo Ufomadu was confused as to why he could view his son’s grades online who goes to R.B. Hudson Middle School but did not have access for his other son at Selma High. This prompted a discussion in the work session which uncovered for board members the fact that the online grade program, iNow is actually free to all schools in the system because it is provided by the Alabama State Board of Education.

Once all schools in the system begin with this online grading and viewing system, it is our hope that parental involvement will increase in the school system as well as on an individual basis for students at home. If parents can see that their students are failing all homework assignments, yet making fair grades on quizzes and tests a parent can then know to push their children in the right direction.

This tool can empower parents to know more about their student’s grades and give them the knowledge about their child’s strengths and weaknesses when they go into parent-teacher conferences.

As the board members pointed out, not many parents attend PTO and board meetings, but maybe with more knowledge available that will change.