FAIRFAX, Va. -- Forget that age-old excuse about the dog eating your homework. In Fairfax County, it's not going to wash.

Technology now gives parents a way to find out what their children's homework assignments are, and when their next tests will be, without leaving home.

From the comfort of her kitchen, Maribeth Luftglass is fully engaged in her three children's education.

She's monitoring all their academic moves via the Fairfax school system's Web site.

"I can sort of see what the homework is going to be before we go to soccer … what homework we are going to have, what projects are due. It helps all of us to be organized as a family," she said.

The online movement has been gaining ground since Fairfax first went digital six years ago. At the start of this school year, over 20,000 parents were online per hour, double what the D.C. education software giant, Blackboard, has expected.

Parents can check students' homework, tests and attendance records. They can opt to receive alerts if their children are falling behind fellow classmates.

To bridge the digital divide, parents who can't afford a home computer can go to a public library to access their student's information.

And some county schools are staying open later so parents can have computer access.

At the Luftglass house, there's online access to textbooks for reading assignments to go along with the homework lists. Another feature allows parents to update emergency information, without calls or paperwork.

Parents in Arlington, Alexandria, Montgomery, Charles and Prince George's counties can also monitor their children's schoolwork online.