Cobb County parents report issued on first day of online learning
COBB COUNTY, Ga - Dozens of Cobb County parents called the FOX 5 newsroom complaining they could not log on for day one of virtual learning on Monday.
Parent Chephanie Simpson, of Mableton, thought she had done everything to ensure the first day of school would be flawless for son Jaylin Simpson, who attends Pebblebrook High School, and daughter Makayla Thomas, who attends Lindley Middle School. But the best-laid plans quickly went awry when neither student could successfully log in by the end of the school day.
"I took off for two days, check. We picked up the device, check, I purchased a device, check, and then we were ready to go. I set the dining room set up as a classroom. We had everything ready to go, and nothing happened because they could not log on," Simpson said.
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Jaylin could see his Pebblebrook classes and even his books, but he could not join in the learning.
Ms. Simpson started emailing and calling technical support by 10:30 a.m., but that got nowhere.
"The technician told me to make sure we had the username and passwords. Once we established that, she told me to call his counselor. I do not even know who his counselor is," the single mother of two said with frustration.
The district downplayed the problem, releasing the following statement:
"We actively listen and care about each family's experience with our remote learning platform. We have a tech support team that is willing and able to help solve problems as they arise. Fortunately, more than 100,000 of our roughly 110,000 enrolled students have successfully logged in and engaged with CTLS as we start the school year. We encourage any family still experiencing technical difficulties to contact our support team to have their needs met as soon as possible."
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Ms. Simpson is still looking for direction.
"What am I supposed to do at this point? I do not know what to do. I am calling the school. The school is flooded with phone calls because I know I am not the only parent having this issue," she questioned.