By Kyle Arechiga & Julian Bayan

In early 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic forced many people into lockdown. What started as an extra week of spring break turned into over a year and a half of online school. After the lockdown was lifted in 2021, many students were excited to come back to school. In order to prevent the spread of Covid and keep students and staff safe, Granada Hills Charter (GHC) required students to fill out a daily health survey on the ParentLocker Portal, which asks if the user has symptoms of Covid-19.

 The survey, which helped ensure that Covid-19 cases didn’t spike, was timely for an era where students were just coming back to campus after nearly two years of online school.

Although Covid-19 is less of an issue, the school is still using ParentLocker as a security measure to make sure the people entering campus are those that should be on campus.

Fast forward to three years later in 2024 and this same system is still in use. GHC students are still required to fill out the survey every day. 

The administration has been in talks to find a replacement for ParentLocker. Currently, there are several options that are being taken into consideration. 

“We are looking at different apps and systems that allow for digital entry and digital hall passes to the bathrooms that make safety a priority,” Administrative Director Julia Howelman said. “The school has found several companies with robust systems that work with our current technology and are cost-effective. The goal is to roll out a new system after the contract with PartentLocker ends.”

Today, the ParentLocker Portal survey feels less relevant in a time where the pandemic has been less of a disruption to our daily routines, and cases are relatively low, especially compared to when we first returned to campus.  The administrative team agrees that a new system is needed. 

“I used to be very diligent about my ParentLocker in freshman year,” junior Nicholas Bermudez said. “Nowadays, I just go through it very fast and then sign my name. It feels like a waste of time at this point.”

In addition, the ParentLocker Portal has had its share of flaws. Without wi-fi, some students may have some difficulties in filling out the survey, causing a hindrance in getting to class on-time. As a result, this minor inconvenience sends these students to the A5 tardy room, making them miss a whole class period.
“There were times where I couldn’t fill my Parent Locker survey out, because it just kept loading,” junior Thomas Bedolla said. “I wasn’t allowed in school until it stopped loading, so I missed my first period.”

Now that ParentLocker feels less necessary, many students find it annoying and do not take it seriously. Some even lie to not have to miss school. 

“The survey feels pointless, because people can just lie because they don’t want to go to school, which defeats the purpose of the survey,” junior Gavin Raya said. 

In a time where the presence of Covid-19 has been less prevalent in our daily lives, The ParentLocker Portal system feels antiquated. Back then, its main purpose was to help reduce Covid-19 cases by sending out a daily survey about Covid symptoms. Today, the survey feels like a fly buzzing in your face every morning, and is rendered useless considering that the world has already reached the endemic stage of Covid.