A Dangerous Scenario that Puts @mcps Children at Risk. How many times do I have to protest against the deficiencies in a system before someone listens? @mcps @mocoboe Synergy-ParentVue-MyMCPS

How Many?

How many times, how many ways do I have to say, “it's not working?"  How many times do I have to point out the failures and the problems?  How many times do I have to protest against the deficiencies in a system before someone listens?  Or does it really matter that I'm unhappy with a system, as long as those who have imposed this on us are happy?

How many times should I listen to “we've heard you and we're working on it”?  How many times do I have to repeat myself?  Or is the problem simply that I'm speaking as a voice of one?  If that's the case, tell me, how many people do I need to gather to say the same things, to ask the same questions?  Tell me, how many voices you need to hear before you listen, how many pitchforks do you need to see?

For those of you who don't know what I'm questioning, let me be clear.  It's the pride and joy of MCPS, ParentVue, Synergy and all of the related and unrelated portions thereof.  A system of communications that is not user friendly and certainly a challenge for people with minimal experience in dealing with online applications. It's a system that frequently is down or at best temperamental, as it has been all day, again.

This is the system that allows parents to receive notifications when assignments are graded and to be able to go in to see the grades.  This is the system that will tell the parents that their child has failed to do an assignment or gotten a zero on the assignment, not because that's the truth but because they system has to be fed.  But that is a dangerous scenario that puts children at risk.  That in itself is an ugly scenario that last year, an Associate Superintendent assured me would be remedied, but it hasn't been.

So, my question is still what will it take, how many voices do you need to hear?  Tell me and I will gather them all.  Since I originally posted this on Social Media and as emails to the Superintendent as well as all of the BOE, I have gotten a response.

The following day, the Superintendent asked one of her newly appointed staff members to contact me, which she did immediately. We've had a phone conversation and several emails, as well as phone conversations with other MCPS staff and multiple emails.  It's strange, they appear to be listening, none of them appear to understand that their primary duty is to protect the bureaucracy.  In fact, they asked to continue the discussion and for more input from the community.

Now, is your chance. Let me hear about your experiences with Synergy, ParentVue, Canvas. Send me your issues and concerns and I will submit them to MCPS, no names will be used. Please feel free to email me at paintedpetalsandmore@gmail.com .  Don't let me stand alone, give me your input.

Heinz Weverink

MCPS Parent