Bronx River has been using Operoo since the fall of 2021 as a way to digitize permission slips after returning from the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the New York City Department of Education has ended its partnership with the company so the school no longer has access to the system. So for now, the school has returned to paper permission slips.

“The partnership with Operoo ended because the department of education needed their own portal for emergency contact information, so we didn’t need Operoo anymore,” explained Tené Kelly, the assistant principal.

Some students wondered if paper permission slips would complicate the sign-up process, especially for bigger trips, such as Six Flags.

“I think the biggest downside of paper permission slips is just keeping track of how many pieces of paper, but we anticipate it will be a similar turnout,” she said. “There might actually be more people who are able to turn in paper permission slips because it doesn’t require their family to know how to log on.”

How soon will the school be able to return to digital permission slips?

Ms. Kelly says “I anticipate, from the department of education, by next school year, that the department of education will have an online permission slip in the NYCSA account portal, that’s my guess. A large trip like Six Flags will be more complicated with paper permission slips, but it will not be impossible.”