Rick Badie's Gwinnett: Schools starting the year right

By Rick Badie

It’s four weeks into the school year, and my son’s campus has already hosted a couple of parent nights so we can learn the system and what’s expected.

The most recent affair took place Tuesday night, a session for the parents of ninth-graders. A panel of administrators took just over an hour to run through the nuts-and-bolts of promotion, graduation and attendance. In between, they welcomed parents and encouraged them to be involved and in touch.

I’ve sat through more than my share of presentations like this as a former education reporter and, more recently, as a father. But this one on this particular night left an impression, a word I’ve been using of late to describe Norcross High.

Since Day One, a distinct level of professionalism has been omnipresent, from Principal Jonathan Patterson down to my son’s teachers. All have been responsive, on task. It’s as if they enjoy their jobs and accept the mighty responsibility and nonstop criticism that engulfs it. As if they want to be there.

Imagine that.

You’d hope that this kind of environment existed on every campus, in any county, in any state. Sadly, we know better.

So the attitudes I’ve witnessed thus far at Norcross High deserve an acknowledgment and praise. And if that’s the case at your school, too, let ’em hear it.

Naturally, it’s early in the school year. There are 160 days to go. But even if this refreshing and appreciated approach to education sways, it’s unlikely to completely wither. It feels too real.

But let’s not wax on about Norcross High. I’d like to highlight a countywide school program that’s absolutely divine. The Parent Portal is a tool that allows parents to review their child’s progress, or lack of it. It provides online and timely information on the child’s current schedule, courses, grades and attendance record. It also sports details about discipline, academic history and results on those pesky standardized tests.

In recent years, the school district had fielded requests from parents who wanted more in-depth grade information. Gwinnett schools had attempted to send out grades via e-mail, but the task would overload the servers.

In response, school officials looked into providing an interactive tool that would allow navigation of the latest information. Last year, the school system piloted the Parent Portal with campuses in the Dacula-area. That was followed in January by a “soft roll-out” and full implementation this year, said Dr. Steven Flint, an associate superintendent.

“Parents can access it 24 hours a day,” he said. “It’s a way for parents to have discussions with children at home, and if they have questions, they can go through the typical means to contact the teacher, e-mail and what have you.”

If you don’t have home Internet access, no worries. Your local school should be able to provide some other means or resources to get you online.

“Just contact the school, and they will assist,” Flint said. “Anytime we can communicate more effectively . . . ”

It’s a plus for everybody.

Rick Badie, an Opinion columnist, is based in Gwinnett. Reach him at rbadie@ajc.com or 770-263-3875.