Parents press York School Committee for answers on I‑Ready use and student-data platform

At the June 3 York School Committee meeting two parents pressed district leaders for clearer answers about assessment use and student data.

Cheryl Nyiver, a parent, said she requested to be placed on the meeting agenda to discuss the district's use of the I‑Ready diagnostic tool and to obtain data on district spending and how the tool is being used. "Parents are not just stakeholders. We are primary stakeholders in our children's education," Nyiver said, arguing that basic information about I‑Ready should be readily accessible and that she had been told compiling the requested data would take months.

Nyiver cited recent National Assessment of Educational Progress results showing declines in Maine and said that, coupled with recent staffing changes in special education at York Middle School, the district appears to be reacting to problems instead of addressing them proactively. She called for "straightforward answers, open communication, and a genuine opportunity for parents to engage in meaningful dialogue about the direction of our schools."

Later in public comment, parent Janelle Estes identified a separate concern about a software system she learned was being used to manage her children's information. "It's called Acuity," she said, and asked for a conversation about access rights and permissions after saying she had not known her children's records were in that database.

Chair responded that the public-comment forum is not a back-and-forth and suggested both parents email the chair or the superintendent to set up a meeting or request further information. The district did not provide additional data or a timeline for delivering the records during the meeting.

Why this matters: Parents raised two distinct but related concerns: transparency around the educational diagnostic (I‑Ready) and privacy/access questions about a student-data platform (Acuity). Both touch on core district responsibilities: explaining instructional decisions, disclosing expenditures on assessment tools, and clarifying who can access student records.

What the district said and next steps: Committee members acknowledged the comments and directed the parents to email district leadership to arrange follow-up, but no commitment was made to publish the requested I‑Ready financials or usage data at the meeting. The record shows parents expect the district to supply the information; the committee indicated staff would follow up outside the meeting. The committee's next regular meeting is June 17, where staff updates on hiring and some testing results were expected.