In a significant setback to New York City's plan to shift to remote instruction amid a snowstorm, teachers and students faced a major glitch on Tuesday morning, leaving many unable to access their virtual classrooms. The city's Education Department acknowledged the issue on social media, stating that families and educators were experiencing difficulties logging into their remote learning platforms due to a problem with IBM authentication services.

The outage, which affected various systems including Zoom, official email accounts, and attendance tracking platforms, left countless teachers and students frustrated and disrupted their learning routine. Many took to social media to express their concerns, with some reporting their children marked absent due to the technical difficulties.

Adam Schwartz, a teacher at Franklin Delano Roosevelt High School in Brooklyn, shared his own experience of being unable to log in for his classes along with his second-grade daughter's struggle to access remote lessons on Zoom. However, around 9 a.m., both were able to regain access to the platforms.

Several school leaders expressed their frustrations, noting that the outages hindered them from offering remote instruction, impacting both trust and perceived competence during these challenging times.

The Education Department had implemented remote learning instead of canceling classes during snowstorms, marking the first time the entire NYC system was expected to go virtual in inclement weather. The technical issues jeopardized the city's plan to provide live virtual lessons throughout the day.

Critics, including Rita Joseph, a former teacher and chair of the City Council's education committee, criticized the Education Department for a lack of preparedness regarding technology for students, educators, and staff.

Despite the glitches, Schools Chancellor David Banks emphasized the department's readiness to pivot to remote learning, acknowledging the challenges that come with such a large-scale technology implementation. He underscored the preparations made during the pandemic and stated that the school system was more than capable of handling unusual circumstances.

Miriam Sicherman, a third-grade teacher at Manhattan's Children's Workshop School, shared her perspective, mentioning that students with Education Department-issued iPads were unable to use them and encountered error messages. Google Classroom also had inconsistent functionality throughout the morning. In light of the technical issues, Sicherman encouraged her students to enjoy the snow and play outside rather than attempting remote learning.

As the Education Department works with IBM to resolve the authentication issues and restore full functionality, families, educators, and policymakers rely on Chalkbeat New York's reporting to gain deeper insights into the challenges and outcomes of remote learning in the city.

The technical glitch serves as a reminder of the complexities involved in maintaining a functional and seamless virtual learning environment, with the Education Department and school officials facing scrutiny for their preparedness and ability to adapt to unexpected situations.

Contact: Alex Zimmerman (azimmerman@chalkbeat.org) - Reporter for Chalkbeat New York
Amy Zimmer (azimmer@chalkbeat.org) - Bureau Chief for Chalkbeat New York