Sunday School Attendance recorded in app?

I'm a software professional who is also Sunday School secretary for my local ward. The current system we have for capturing attendance at Sunday School is to get a clerk to print out the rolls, then manually deliver the rolls to each class and have them fill out, then pick up the rolls after and figure out how to get it recorded somewhere.

This seems a bit archaic in 2020 and I'd like to help build a solution around this. I'm sure there are people here who have thought of this problem and know the hurdles and limitations that offer challenge to any solution.

Anyone have insights on challenges or where I should be able to start looking into building a solution?

Thanks,
-bk

SS attendance is not recorded anywhere, and we really don't need that data for anything.

There's a couple of issues in trying to tackle this. First, any electronic system you make is by necessity going to require getting the information out of the church's system. That's not going to be easy, and it's going to be questionable as "The use of MLS data and membership information in third party software is prohibited,"

Secondly, electronic systems and paper play by different rules when it comes to privacy issues/laws. I believe the church is deliberately keeping some records as paper for this reason.

In one ward I attended we elected to not to print rolls for GD classes. The distraction of passing and marking during class was dreamed not worth the trouble since the info is not used or recorded anywhere. The rolls for the youth SS classed were printed only to let the teachers know who should be there.

drepouille wrote:SS attendance is not recorded anywhere, and we really don't need that data for anything.

I would respectfully disagree. I believe that attendance data is vital if the ward council was concerned with activity of ward members. People typically don't just "drop away" in a single event. They slip away gradually and no one really notices until they have been missing for weeks or months.

I would a agree most wards and branches don't "do anything" with SS attendance, which is a shame.

If I had a vote, which I don't, I would vote that the quarterly reporting now include SS attendance for the youth since the YM/YW opportunity to count attendance is cut in half with the 2 hr block (since they only meet twice a month).

davesudweeks wrote:

drepouille wrote:SS attendance is not recorded anywhere, and we really don't need that data for anything.

I would respectfully disagree. I believe that attendance data is vital if the ward council was concerned with activity of ward members. People typically don't just "drop away" in a single event. They slip away gradually and no one really notices until they have been missing for weeks or months. I would agree most wards and branches don't "do anything" with SS attendance, which is a shame.

I agree that an active and engaged Sunday School presidency should be interested in who does or does not attend classes. They should start with all the folks in the foyers of the chapel. But a ward clerk has no use for that information, especially since SS attendance is not a factor during temple recommend interviews.

drepouille wrote:SS attendance is not a factor during temple recommend interviews.

The temple recommend interview has changed. It no longer asks if you attend your sacrament and priesthood meetings. It asks if you attend your meetings. I believe Sunday School is one of those meetings that should be seriously considered for regular attendance. That said, the temple recommend interview is not the time or place where the SS attendance records will be pulled out and examined.

As for that attendance information, the ward SS secretary compiles attendance information (General Handbook 13.2.4) and the Sunday School presidency reviews those attendance records during presidency meetings GH 13.3.2).

An active and engaged Sunday School presidency should also be conducting presidency meetings and teacher councils.

Sunday school attendance is ask for in the Quarterly Report that the ward clerk send in. So, yes it is needed.