DGS has transitioned from using Home Access Center (HAC) to using an all encompassing app: Infinite Campus.
Similar to HAC, Infinite Campus allows students to check their grades and staff to enter those grades. Infinite Campus introduces some features that weren’t available with HAC, like food service, the school store and activity registration.
Another key difference between HAC and Infinite Campus is that students are using Infinite Campus more often; they’re required to scan in to classes, access and resource.
Associate Principal for Operations and Technology Omar Davis helped oversee the transition from HAC to Infinite Campus. The change was made because the school needed to replace HAC, also referred to as a student information system (SIS), as it was being shut down in 2027 or 2028.
“The decision was made [that] instead of going all the way up until the end, let’s go now. Let’s spend a year researching some of the SISs that were out there. We spent a lot of time looking at different models, and then we landed on Infinite Campus,” Davis said.
“We thought it had good features, most of the features that we needed as a district. Then we selected it, and we spent a year researching the transition, and it’s finally here. So it was kind of born out of necessity because [HAC] was going away,” Davis said.
The decision to change HAC wasn’t a solo effort. With a technology team including software engineers, the chief of technology officer and the assistant superintendent for learning resources, the district could initiate the transition process. Many people were involved to ensure that the transition was as smooth as possible.
“We think that the student-facing and parent-facing module was much more user-friendly when on a phone. We got feedback that HAC on the phone was kind of clunky and didn’t really look nice, and some of the functionality was limited as well,” Davis said.
Senior Akyra Moaton has mixed feelings about the change from HAC to Infinite Campus.
“I don’t like that everything is in one spot. It’s good because it’s easier to get to things, but it’s also really full, and there are a lot of different tabs for everything. It’s hard to know what is on there and what isn’t on there,” Moaton said.
Moaton noticed that scanning into class can sometimes become a struggle when the Infinite Campus app doesn’t load for her. Together with the school’s Wi-Fi, she shares that it can slow down the flow of scanning in.
“I do like the notifications so that you can see when your teacher puts in grades. I also like that they made it into an app for us; it makes a lot of things a lot more convenient,” Moaton said.
DGS Security Guard Josh Bean, who works the front entrance almost every day, believes that Infinite Campus helps improve the flow of students going in and out of the building.
“The system works. [In] the old system, we didn’t have any way for it to work. Between you guys scanning in when you’re coming in and you guys scanning into your classrooms, everything works together now,” Bean said.
While HAC is seen as more straightforward by students, both students and staff appreciate the convenience of Infinite Campus and its features.
“If you’ve been in Infinite Campus, you can see the difference between [HAC]. [Infinite Campus] is a much more effective tracking system. So far, we’ve enjoyed it,” Bean said.