Westlake Village H.S. Student Tracks Truants

Thanks to a Westlake High School freshman Zak Kukoff’s online program, parents can keep track of their kids more easily and efficiently.

Kukoff, of Oak Park, created the program Truant Today (http://www.truanttoday.com), which alerts parents instantaneously via their email or cell phones if teachers mark students absent from school.

Kukoff, 15, hopes local schools will use the program to help parents stay on top of truancy issues. Administrators at area schools have expressed interest in using Kukoff’s program, including Principal Martin Manzer with Newbury Park’s Conejo Valley High’s continuation school where many students have a history of truancy that caused them to fall behind in credits.

Manzer said he would be interesting in his school serving as the pilot program if it’s possible to interface Kukoff’s program with the school’s existing software programs, noting that parents would have to opt in to the program if the pilot program goes through.

Kukoff also created a similar program, Get Grades Now, which notifies parents as soon as their child receives a grade so they can stay abreast of the child’s academic progress. The freshman has applied for patents for both online programs and is submitting his projects in April’s Ventura County Science Fair.