by Graham Skinker ’21

In a Sherwood Homeroom period in mid-October, students received an online digital tools form to get signed by a parent and returned to the school. The form is similar to the YouTube access form that was sent home to students last year in that it essentially states that if students do not get it signed by a parent and turned back in by November 1, they will not be able to access sites like Kahoot, Vocaroo and Quizlet while at school.

This could be a potential problem for teachers as it remains to be seen how the school system will enforce the policy if students do not get their forms signed. MCPS has not yet provided any direction to teachers on what they are supposed to do if they have students that did not complete the form.

“If a student brought one of those forms to me right now, I would have no idea what to do with it,” said Spanish teacher Tanya Aguilar, who uses a few of the instructional sites listed on the consent form. Teachers may have to alter their lesson plans or find alternate sites for students who do not turn in a signed consent form. “If MCPS follows through with this it could severely restrict students’ ability to learn,” said Aguilar.