Fresno parents now have a way to make sure their kids are engaged in distance learning and communicating with their teachers while schools remain closed during the coronavirus pandemic.

Fresno Unified School District officials this week added a “new tool” to its online learning platform, the Atlas portal. District officials said students, each week, will now see “three different, non-graded assignments.”

“One assignment will be focused on the teacher’s outreach efforts, another on the student’s interaction, and one for any follow-up that is needed that week,” the district said in an information graphic.

Previously, the district didn’t have a way to measure how many of its students were engaged in distance learning, officials said. The feature will help the district to collect data weekly and figure out how many students are still learning.

Vanessa Ramirez, a district spokesperson, said parents would be able to access the information through the Atlast portal each week.

“Parents and students can easily see what outreach opportunities the teacher has provided,” Ramirez said.

The new tool comes after weeks of complaints from some parents who said their children hadn’t been contacted by a teacher since campuses two months ago to combat the coronavirus. It also came the day after the district received a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union demanding Fresno Unified improve access to online tools communication with students and parents.

Fresno Teachers Association President Manuel Bonilla noted the “vast majority” of teachers have been in regular contact with students since the closures.

“A lot of them (teachers) are working harder now during this time period,” Bonilla said.

He said many of the complaints about contact have ultimately been unfounded, saying most have been related to a variety of miscommunication issues, and the teacher had been reaching out to the student.

Trustee Terry Slatic agreed most of the district’s 4,000 teachers are doing a “good job,” but also said there are teachers who are “doing virtually nothing,” and all seven trustees have received complaints from constituents.

While Fresno Unified has been working to ensure each student has a device and web access, parents have said the process has been too slow and fraught issues.

Superintendent Bob Nelson has said teachers are still getting paid, and they’re expected to check in with their students every week.

“We know a great many (teachers) are doing much more than that, and there is no perfect tool to capture the attention to detail and creativity our teachers are using daily,” Ramirez said.

Ramirez said “there could be a very wide variety of reasons” some teachers haven’t connected with students, and the new tool will help Fresno Unified identify those reasons.

Bonilla said it’s important to keep in mind that teachers also have been learning to balance home and work lives amid the global pandemic.

“I’ve seen teachers that have gone just above and beyond, not that every teacher has to go above and beyond,” he said. “What I mean by that is they’re people, too. They’re people that are facing this pandemic just like everybody else. “

Parents of students who have not been contacted by their teachers should email their principals or communications@fresnounified.org, officials said.

The Education Lab is a local journalism initiative that highlights education issues critical to the advancement of the San Joaquin Valley. It is funded by donors. Learn about The Bee’s Education Lab on our website.