K-12 administrators and educators already know the value of online student record management systems. Schools benefit in a number of ways. Not only do parents and staff save time, but records are more accurate, more accessible, and, most importantly, more secure. These benefits speak for themselves.

However, when you’re asking parents to make a change, there may be pushback, or at the very least, questions and concerns.

With that in mind, here are some common questions and customer insights on making a successful transition to a new online student record management system.

The challenge

No matter the task at hand, people tend to resist change.

Luckily, technology transitions are fairly common across the board. Think about your bank, cellular, or online shopping accounts. You’re rarely happy when things change, but you eventually understand and buy into the new process.

When it comes to parents, simply telling them that you’re eliminating duplication, streamlining communication, and improving student safety should be enough. Think about how many times they duplicate the same information for their children, every sports season, every school year. It’s daunting.

“Once the families understood FinalForms eliminated repetition and duplication, they were on board,” said Lori Lohman, secretary to the Superintendent at Hamilton Community Schools (Michigan). “I didn’t have any complaints from parents.”

How much time will this take to learn?

When you choose a platform that’s intuitive by design and purpose-built for K12, there won’t be much of a learning curve, if there is one at all.

Technology providers should be committed to your district’s success, because it’s good for business. They may even offer training services as needed to make sure everyone, including parents, gets up to speed as quickly as possible.

What are the benefits of the new system?

Online student record management solutions help districts save time and money, eliminating costly “downstream” problems. Top service providers offer time-stamped, digital paper trails so districts have answers ready if lawyers, insurance companies, or board members come asking.

However, parents may not really care about that. They will value benefits such as ADA compliance, language translation, single sign-on, and friendly reminders that help keep their student records up-to-date.

Parents and staffers alike appreciate good support from a team that communicates like fellow educators and parents, not a call script. Make sure your new system is fully supported by a team ready to answer questions for any user, then tell parents about it!

Is my child’s data secure?

Storing sensitive information online is serious business. That being the case, security needs to be a top consideration when choosing which online student record management solution to invest in.

By moving to a platform that complies with federal and state student data privacy laws and offers enterprise-grade security, you can rest easy knowing sensitive student information is protected by the highest standards.

How long is my child’s data stored?

Some parents may also wonder how long their children’s data is stored. This is an understandable concern, but moving records online doesn’t change district, state, and federal regulations.

In other words, student data will be stored in an online student record management system for the same amount of time it would be stored in a filing cabinet. Depending on the regulations governing your district, you may have to hold onto data for a few years, or in perpetuity.

To ensure compliance, the best online student record management solutions only delete data upon a district’s request.

What is the best online student record management solution on the market?

The best solution is the one that works for your district: it answers parents’ questions before they’re asked, backs you with support that actually helps, and keeps student data safe.

That’s exactly what we set out to build with FinalForms, and it’s why so many districts choose to stick with us year after year. Our 99% retention rate speaks for itself.

Schedule a demo of FinalForms today so we can show you the easiest way to move to an online student record management system that parents love to use.