As Westside transitions from Westside Scheduler to PowerSchool, many students have noticed their late arrival privileges in homeroom being counted as unexcused absences. 

Educational Assistant Linda Seals inputs each late arrival privilege into the PowerSchool system. Seals said the transition to PowerSchool has been difficult because she does not have access to the system, and cannot input late arrivals directly.

“It just has to do with the computer when we moved to PowerSchool,” Seals said. “We moved it out of another system into PowerSchool, but I don’t get access to that so I put them all in. Then, I have to send them over to [the main office], and they put them in.” 

Seals said that if students ask her to input their late arrival privileges, she will do it quickly. 

“It takes an extra step, but if kids tell me individually, I just put them in,” Seals said. “I’ve been trying to go through and do it. The kids come tell me, or they email me, and just say ‘Hey, this isn’t in there and I’m getting counted absent, and then I fix it or change it, so it’s not too bad. Hopefully it’s fixed soon.”

Senior Audrey Krenzer said she has been frustrated when noticing her late arrival privileges are still being counted as unexcused absences.

“For second semester, I have late start three out of the four days we have homeroom, so I applied for an off campus pass,” Krenzer said, “When I did this last semester it was noted in PowerSchool within the first week, however, this semester it never was.”

Krenzer said she attempted to fix the issue in homeroom, but the system could not be altered without administration.

“I let my homeroom teacher know this, but since it wasn’t in PowerSchool, I was still counted absent,” Krenzer said. “I was getting three absences from homeroom per week and they started adding up.” 

Eventually, Krenzer said she had to ask administration for help with the problem.

“Last week I emailed my dean, Mr. Dada, and I told him what was going on,” Krenzer said. “He was able to update it in PowerSchool that day, so now I am set for the rest of the semester, but it did take me reaching out for them to update it.”

Currently, late arrival privileges are not completely entered into PowerSchool, but administration is hopeful the issue will be resolved soon.