If you think taking attendance in a high school classroom is as simple as roll call or using a piece of paper, you’re wrong.
That’s according to Galesburg School District Superintendent John Asplund, in defending the district’s move to purchase a new $90,000 system that will require Galesburg High School students to scan their once-again-require-to-wear student I.D.’s at a kiosk when they enter a classroom.
“Getting even five minutes back at the beginning of every period, times 174 days, is a lot of time that teachers get back for instructional time for kids,” Asplund said on WGIL’s “Galesburg In Focus” program.
In response to social media complaints that students could just get a buddy to scan their I.D. for them, Asplund says after the first couple weeks of class, that shouldn’t be an issue because teachers will be familiarized with their students and can report the potential infraction — in other words, students won’t be able to get away with it for very long.
“If we can build in a system that minimizes the disruptions to class time, that is a very valuable asset to staff members, to the kids,” said Asplund. “Our teachers have to deal with a lot of different issues during the day. If we can eliminate one of those issues for them, and ask them to focus more on just straight up instructional time, I think that this is definitely going to be a benefit.”
Asplund said on “Galesburg In Focus” despite social media outcry regarding the system for the above reasons and more, no one has actually come to him so far to express their concerns, and he encourages them to do so.
