Opening day of DCSD school choice online registration last week was an EPIC FAIL. The Superintendent apologized for any inconvenience or delay. The DeKalb Schools technology team worked night and day to correct the problem. On Monday, E-Portal was taken offline for maintenance and all the fixes installed. Unfortunately, when the switch was flipped back on, things were worse than ever.
Once again, the technology team has been working night and day to fix the problems. Factchecker editors hear that DCSD is cleaning up the data and everything will be working like it should be by Monday.
So far the intel regarding data cleanup shows some progress. Postings on Facebook include details like this from a parent who had problems and then saw a fix:
Wednesday 2/18 @ 4:45pm – “All four of our kids have been removed from our profile, and it won’t let me into the form to add students. Good times!”
Thursday 2/19 @ 11:57am – “With all the swirl surrounding the DCSD ePortal, I thought it was only fair that I share a positive story. Just got a call out of the blue from a lovely woman who said my account had been cleaned up, explained the reason for the problem, and how she fixed it. I just went into our account, and, VOILA!!, it was as she said. ”
You have until the end of next week (2/27) to register for school choice. Check back periodically and by Monday E-Portal should work as expected. If it isn’t working as expected by Monday, abandon all hope (ok, maybe that’s melodramatic) and register manually at the William Bradley Bryant Center. People who have already registered manually tell me there are currently no lines.
Update:
Thursday 2/19 @ 10:52am – “it took an hour and a half, but I was able to get her registered at the Bryant Center. The staff was very nice and helpful. I just don’t think that all parents have the time to go there and wait in the line.”
“Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice. Moderation in pursuit of justice is no virtue.”
I wanted to thank you for your follow-up on the technical problems with the e-portal issues. The people at the Bryant Center were able to help me out yesterday morning and we also received a nice voicemail from a Dekalb County employee saying she had fixed our problem.
Overall, the county employees have been very nice and helpful. The frustration has been the big picture — overall technical glitches and lack of infrastructure to handle the problems.
I was having trouble the first day or two of this process. I knew the process would have this year because the system is new and I understand that. It looks like everything is working the way it should in my account now. Whatever the county is doing to fix this is much appreciated. I was one of the ones who had something to say negatively about this process. Now I feel much better about it and the staff has been really help and pleasant. Thanks for all you do.
IT Worked! It Worked! Their Update Finally Worked! Status now reads ‘Eligible’ A Happy Rainy Monday to Me!
Ours is fixed also. Could not believe my eyes!
Not fixed over here. [No School] available for next grade level is the error. The error about the street has been removed. Both [students] still listed as ineligible.
Still saying ineligible on my end. Numerous emails have been sent with no response.
What’s incredibly frustrating is that I didn’t attempt to enroll either of my students in school choice this year but somehow one of my children has been removed from my account and the other child is listed twice (and both were there and listed in the correct schools just over a week ago). Seriously – can it get any worse at this point?? Pathetic
During the first two weeks of the DeKalb school choice application process, more than 2,000 new parents representing approximately 4,000 students have registered for enrollment in the District which qualifies them to participate in the school choice lottery. All students not currently enrolled in the District must be registered before they can be considered for acceptance into the school choice program. Student registration requires documentation of residency in DeKalb County, immunization treatments, and academic records.
The registration process began on February 2nd and concludes Friday, February 27th. As of February 22nd, 5,807 parents registered their children with 4,058 online registrations and 1,749 paper registrations.
“School choice is a high priority in DeKalb County and with 48 choice schools we offer a wide range of options for parents including traditional schools,” said Superintendent Michael Thurmond. “The large volume of parents seeking to register their children demonstrates the awareness of these options and our staff is responding to the challenge.”
The students of new parents registering for school choice are primarily enrolled in other school systems, private schools, or are being home schooled.
The District offers school choice options in addition to traditional schools in 48 of its 137 schools and centers. A new charter school, The Globe Academy, and programs for a select group of special education students were added this year.
The increased enrollment and use of new technology have contributed to parents experiencing some difficulties with online registration. This is the first year for the new application process using the Infinite Campus software.
With more than 5,800 students already registered for school choice options, the District is working to resolve re-occurring technical issues by enhancing the online process and doubling the capacity of its call center with the addition of six new telephone lines to assist parents with the registration process.
The online application launched February 10th on the District’s website and ePortal.
Enhancements to the registration process have included:
* Expanded call center capacity and extended hours of operation including Saturday hours
* Updated the system for ease of use for parents
* Eliminated system restrictions in the application process
* Increased technical support options to offer greater support for parents.
* Improved system functionality
Following the completion of the registration process on February 27, the District school choice team will take 30 days to review all applications and determine true eligibility. School assignments will then be made based on a random lottery using the eligible students list.
Still has my son listed in the wrong [school], I know this is the case with at least 3 other parents as well.