We are approaching a point where most students in the Boise School District have been using Infinite Campus almost all their academic lives, and while it makes it easy to access your grades and upcoming assignments, it has also opened the door to discussion on how much access parents and guardians should have to their children’s grades. 

The reality of being a student in 2021 is that once a grade is posted, you are aware within seconds and so is everyone else who has access to your grades. While this can be good for some students, particularly those who have done well on an assignment or exam, as the grade can provide a sudden burst of relief and satisfaction. For other students, it isn’t as helpful. 

Being notified of a failing grade while still in class can be a very stressful experience. If someone becomes aware of a failing grade while in a classroom where they are unable to take the opportunity to text an explanation to their parents, all they are going to do for the remainder of the school day is worry about how to approach the subject. The looming presence of a failed grade is nothing but an added stressor on top of the already stressful learning environment, coupled with the knowledge that your parents received a notification and it would be no surprise if someone experienced an extreme bout of anxiety. 

Students at Boise High School have been known for taking on some very challenging courses. The students here are already very familiar with the anxiety that accompanies a grade that they or their parents would not deem a satisfactory example of their hard work and determination. 

As we grow and change and more advancements are made in technology we have to keep in mind that making something more fast paced isn’t always the correct route to take. With applications continuing to be revamped and changed, giving students and their parents access to their grades as soon as they are posted poses a huge risk for increased levels of stress and anxiety. How is one supposed to focus on school if minutes before an important test or presentation they are made aware that both them and their parents now know that they didn’t pass a class or exam.

While having access to your grades in a digital space is important, at a certain point students should be able to keep that information private, report cards are still sent in the mail so this isn’t to suggest that parents would be kept completely in the dark, but when one notification from an app can open the doors for extreme confrontation it’s an issue that needs to be handled.