The Cherokee County School District is planning a pilot project beginning in December to replace paper student registration forms with a digital system.

In a presentation at a recent School Board meeting, officials said mid-year enrollments will test the system. A full launch would happen in the 2018-19 school year.

Parents will be able to provide online, for all of their children, emergency contacts, required documents and other “first day” information in advance without the need to enter duplicate data, officials said. This should save parents time, improve staff efficiency and accuracy, and reduce paper and printing costs.

The current paper-based system is “painful,” said Bobby Blount, chief information officer for the school district. To plan the digital registration pilot, “we are tackling it through a collaborative effort,” with much time and thought, he said.