It's that constant nagging that some people have to deal with. And ask they do. The idea has caught on in schools across the Washington region and nationwide. But not everyone is buying into the idea so quickly. Some companies offer the service free, making their money from advertisements on their Web sites.
Security is another burden.
Though all the companies have password-protected sites, some schools fear that it is possible to infiltrate the systems and gain access to private information. Then there is the question of the teachers' time. Others who have a heavy workload do not want to put the time into regularly updating the information. Still others do not want to spend their evenings at home writing e-mails. For instance, Stonewall Jackson High School in Prince William County launched a program last month that gives parents access to the password-protected ParentLink, which provides weekly updates on student grades, assignments and attendance through the school's Web site.