With the start of the new school year and the implementation of new policies, administration has approved the usage of a new platform, Minga. According to its website, Minga is a campus management platform that “integrates many school tools and resources into one place, such as student ID cards, hall passes, school communication, event management, and more.”
The Editorial Board has observed concerns raised about privacy, unclear expectations, and a general disapproval of the new platform from students, teachers, and parents.
While there has been negative feedback towards Minga, the Editorial Board believes administration has valid reasons for its implementation. We support their effort to upgrade systems around school, but ask for clearer communication with students and teachers about the purpose and usage of Minga.
According to administration, Minga was primarily implemented to replace TeachMore, the program previously used to check students in during tutorial. Administration said TeachMore was limited in function and became outdated, not providing as much information about attendance as Minga can.
Assistant Principal Marti McGuirk, who oversees student attendance, said that about 11% of MVHS students are chronically absent, meaning they miss 10% or more school days per year. The US Department of Education supports “positive behavioral interventions and support,” which McGuirk says Minga falls under, as they are shown to be more beneficial than punitive responses that communicate to students that they are unwelcome on campus.
Students have been concerned about what they heard was a 25 person limit per classroom during tutorial sessions. However, McGuirk said the limit is a suggestion to help teachers with crowd control, but they have the flexibility to decide the limit for their own rooms. Many students also drew false conclusions about how tutorial works from the way information was communicated through the video shown to students about how to pre-register. McGuirk said pre-registration is not required, although available to guarantee a spot in a teacher’s tutorial.
A feature yet to be tested is the hall pass function, which McGuirk said is meant to replace the old physical hall passes that can be unsanitary and difficult to manage.
Students have raised concerns about the soon-to-be introduced feature, arguing that the five allotted minutes for students to use the restroom is insufficient. Amidst construction on an outdoor campus, the Oracle believes five minutes is inadequate. McGuirk said administration is considering setting the base time to around 10 minutes, which the Editorial Board believes would address the issue.
Students have scrutinized the privacy policies of Minga, especially regarding user data collection and its usage of GPS tracking to locate students. McGuirk clarified that there are no location tracking functions and said students are not required to download the app on their phones.
Minga offers more features, which McGuirk said the school is excited to test out in the future, including a point system. She said the point system can be used as a vehicle to cultivate school spirit and a sense of belonging. This is part of their initiative to increase participation and engagement among the school, which has been low at MVHS, according to the California Healthy Kids survey. The survey is taken each year to provide comprehensive data on school climate and safety, health risks and behaviors, and youth resiliency.
As we expressed in our last editorial, “Letter to the MVLAUSD administration,” we hope the administration continues to improve its dialogue and communication with students.
We appreciate the action towards rectifying chronic absences, but without transparency, actions may be perceived with the wrong intentions. For many students, Minga is seen as a restrictive platform that is part of administrative moves to confine them. These feelings stem from a place of fear and confusion.
As a student body, we are open to change, to new developments and progress, but we hope the administration can be transparent with their actions.
While it is a significant change and many find it limiting, we believe Minga will ultimately benefit our campus. As MVHS expands its use of Minga, administration should address teachers’ and students’ concerns to clear up misconceptions about its purpose and goals.
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*This editorial was also published in our print edition.