I'm a teacher and I agree that this is a PITA for all involved. Sadly, though, I can top all this beginning of the year joy. At the END of the year, teachers in our district are required to get out a black pen (not blue! never blue!) and fill in all kinds of data onto paper in the cumulative folder. Days absent, reading level, 3rd quarter social studies grade, etc. All that stuff that we spent hours and hours and hours entering into that thing we call a COMPUTER during the school year. I'd like to think it's retro... circa 1945.

We can do the forms online in Arlington. I actually feel like there are fewer forms than a few years ago.

Anonymous wrote:I'm a teacher and it is the secretary's job to go through all of those forms. It's a ridiculous amount of work on top of her usual responsibilities. Not everyone has computer access or knowledge, thus the need for paper.

You would not believe the parents that don't complete them on time and neephreak dee or don't update info when it changes. I have needed to contact parents only to find out that their work number was an old job, etc.

But I don't think the answer is to always adapt to the lowest common denominator. If for-profit businesses operated on the mindset that some of their customers can't use computers, so everything should remain paper, bricks & mortar, adding machine, whatever, then how would change/innovation ever occur? The major of parents DO have computers. Find a way to offer options and become more streamlined.

Our last FCPS school started sending out the Tuesday folder as a PDF via email to those who requested it that way. It was so much better for all parties. Less wasted paper, less clutter in my house, etc. It can be done without sacrificing access

I'm a teacher and it is the secretary's job to go through all of those forms. It's a ridiculous amount of work on top of her usual responsibilities. Not everyone has computer access or knowledge, thus the need for paper.

You would not believe the parents that don't complete them on time and neephreak dee or don't update info when it changes. I have needed to contact parents only to find out that their work number was an old job, etc.

Whine whine whine.

I just add emails to my contact list from the Emergency Care forms that come in.

Anonymous wrote:I've sent home the Health Care form. The Emergency Care forms can be filled out online. I can't think of any other forms, other than the SR and R signature sheet.

You know who's frustrating? I filled out the emergency forms on line for both kids (one AAP center and one in base school) right before school started. The stupid base school sent the form home AGAIN! It was the old one, too. They are so stupid there!!!! Luckily, I know they are morons, so I had anticipated that they'd ask for it in paper after I already sent it (and they accepted it) electronically and I printed the form out when I submitted it. So I was able to send in the printed copy instead of having to do the whole thing over. And in the base school, DC's teacher sent home not one, but two, additional class specific forms asking for my email address and phone numbers. Hopefully, hey have everything they need now!

Anonymous wrote:I've sent home the Health Care form. The Emergency Care forms can be filled out online. I can't think of any other forms, other than the SR and R signature sheet.

We had all those, plus forms from the teachers asking for same info, another that appeared to be from the principal, as well as follow-up forms for my son's allergies (because 2 forms wasn't enough documentation for that, needed a trifecta for the clinic).

I've sent home the Health Care form. The Emergency Care forms can be filled out online. I can't think of any other forms, other than the SR and R signature sheet.

I'm so glad they asked if my kindergartener had a drug arrest. I'm sure that was helpful information to the teachers.

Why? Why so many? Why so many that aren't prepopulated with the same info I gave you last year? Why can't I get my phone number corrected after 3 years? Why all the paper? Does anyone even look at these forms? Such a waste. Can't FCPS invest in some sort of centralized database to contain all this info? I've put my phone number on something like 12 different forms.

/rant over