I completed high school about 15 years ago. Back then, most communication between parents and teachers was done by phone and mail. The default assumption by the NYCDOE that every problem needs an app or program is unexplained. Using phones and keeping contact directories up to date is something that had to be done not long ago.

Throughout my time in middle school, high school, and college, grades for tests were handed out in class and teachers had office hours for students to discuss their grades or any other issues. It is unclear to me from this article what time is being lost. Teachers can hand out grades to students just as well as they did before, and I presume that students who have questions or need additional guidance should be able to contact their teachers.

The NYCDOE was correct to sever its tie with third-party services, but why was the default response to build its own service? It was not long ago that there were no mobile applications for grades, attendance, and messaging.