In an effort to streamline the enrollment process for the new school year, Excelsior Springs School District is moving to an online registration system.
The district says the process will eliminate the need to fill out the annual packet of registration forms parents use to enroll their children.
In July, parents and guardians of ESSD students will be mailed a letter asking them to go online and create a Parent Portal Account. While online, parents will be asked to verify all demographic, emergency and medical information for each student using a secure program called E-registration.
According to ESSD Deputy Superintendent Jaret Tomlinson, parents will access the online registration through a Parent Portal Account in PowerSchool, the Excelsior Springs student information system.
Parents in the district will receive a letter to be mailed in July, which says:
“To make this process work, we need your help now. We ask that you go online and set up a PowerSchool Parent Portal Account if you do not have one already. If you are currently using your child’s student portal account to review his or her grades and attendance information, you will need to set up your own Parent Portal Account, as we cannot use a student account for registration purposes.”
Tomlinson said the biggest change for parents is that they will need to set up their own account, not use their students’ accounts for registration.
“We will need every parent who does not already have Parent Portal access to come by our district office to pick up their user name and password. Once that’s done, we will open up registration July 18 via the portal,” Tomlinson said.
The district is encouraging parents to get a head start on the registration process. If parents wait until school begins, they will still need to eRegister, according to Tomlinson. Long lines and computer availability could lead to lengthy registration lines for parents who don’t register prior to the start of the school year.
The district’s July letter says, “creating the Parent Portal Account is essential to the paperless registration process for the 2016-17 school year. Your help is critical so we have the most accurate information possible.”
To set up a Parent Portal Account, parents should visit the school district’s office at 300 W. Broadway, Monday through Thursday between 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Parents will be given a secure username and password along with instructions for creating an account. For more information, or for questions, call the district office at 816-630-9200.