Are you keen to keep on top of your child’s attendance? Do you want to make sure they’re performing their best as the school year progresses?
You’re in luck!
Signing up for a New York City Schools Account (NYCSA) will give you more than just access to all of your child’s academic records – you’ll also receive vital alerts, including updates on school closures and even transportation news.
An overview of the perks that come with having an NYCSA was boasted at the May meeting of District 18’s Community Education Council (CEC 18), which was held via Zoom. Department of Education (DOE) spokesperson Marie D. Plaisir addressed the importance of maintaining and utilizing some lesser-known features of the NYCSA portal, including voting features and Citywide Elections of CEC members for the next school year.
“Another tool that we’re encouraging parents to use on this platform will help elect parent leaders who want to be on CEC boards,” Plaisir explained. “This tool will help you get familiar with parent candidates and their backgrounds, even if you’ve never met the nominees.”
The representative also said that a law went into effect in 2019 allowing voting to be done through the DOE account – which means more parents can vote for a CEC board member virtually.
“Parents will get to know which members have been appointed by the Borough President and who is voted into which roles. The best part is that if you don’t know who’s running for the council boards, you can look up candidate biographies in the forums where other parents introduce themselves so you can make an educated decision on who’s leading the board.”
With 36 total CEC boards operating in New York City, the Big Apple has the largest system in the United States – with reportedly over 1.1 million students taught in more than 1,800 schools.
“The NYCSA is also the best resource for obtaining your child’s performance overall – and if anyone needs help navigating the system after they’ve signed up, parent coordinators can assist with getting codes.”
Plaisir said that the voting period for CEC members on NYCSA was open from April 21st through May 9th but implores all parents to establish an account if they haven’t yet done so.
To access the vital platform, visit schools.nyc.gov/learning/student-journey/nyc-schools-account.
Some on the call noted ongoing glitches with the NYCSA website. However, Family Leadership Coordinator Serge Alexander said one of the considerable glitches is how parents can be “kicked off” the site if they’ve not signed in for 28 days.
“Look, as parents we should be mindful of logging onto our students’ academic account and records at least once a week – at minimum,” he said to the 30-plus in attendance. “If we can be on social media or checking our e-mail for even a minute or two, you can go onto the NYCSA for a few minutes and see how your kids are doing in school.”
The next scheduled CEC 18 meeting will be on Monday, June 5th at 7 p.m. via Zoom. For access to the session, call 718-566-6011/6037 or send an e-mail to: cec18@schools.nyc.gov.