VISALIA, Calif. (KFSN) -- A new app is helping parents in one school district check their students' test scores and upcoming assignments within seconds.
Mary Orozco headed to Green Acres Middle School in Visalia to finish signing up for an app that will give her all the info she needs for what her three kids are doing in school.
Mary Orozco said, "I downloaded the app and then I called the school because I didn't have an ID and password. I called the school and they said I have to come in and show ID."
Orozco is looking to Visalia Unified's new ParentLink app called "Visalia USD." The app lets parents see their student's grades, upcoming tests and assignments. They can even check how much lunch money is in their account or if they missed a class.
Orozco said, "Well, my daughter just told me her English grade went up and I realized I don't even know what it was before and so I have three kids, they're all in different grades and it's just really nice to be able to have something I can go to."
Visalia Unified School District's Chuck Boone said, "That's the key to students' success. Teachers can't do it all in the classroom. Parents need to be involved."
Visalia Unified launched the app a month ago hoping to boost the communication between parents and students. If parents don't have a smart phone they can always access the app from a computer.
Boone said, "Start a conversation with a student if need be. Where are you on this project? It's due in a few days. We're not going to wait until the last minute. Let's get on this now."
So far, 3,500 parents have downloaded the app. It's available for free on the Google Play and Apple App stores. Just search "Visalia USD" to find it.