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New York City public schools are operating virtually Tuesday, as a winter storm grips the five boroughs.
It marks a sudden test of asynchronous learning for the nation's largest public school district, with nearly a million NYC students set to learn online from home. The city had for all intents and purposes "done away" with snow days after the COVID-19 pandemic forced more innovative learning approaches.
That said, the city hadn't moved fully remote for a snow day before this point. And issues abounded early.
Some parents struggled to log in to their kids' classrooms. Others struggled to even get a connection. Most technological issues appeared to be fixed within a short timeframe, though there were still some complaints.
"It is an absolute nightmare. I wasted my whole morning trying to login," Jessica of Staten Island whose child attends first grade at PS32 said.
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Meanwhile, school officials said the department is working with IMB, the log-in system provider of the largest public school district system in the country, and has "added capacity and improvements" that are currently rolling out.
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IBM released a statement saying it was working closely with city schools to rectify any lingering problems.
“IBM has been working closely with New York City schools to address this situation as quickly as possible," the company said. "The issues have been largely resolved, and we regret the inconvenience to students and parents across the city."
Christina, the parent of a third-grade student at PS11, praised teachers who she said tried their best and were prepared for the remote school day. However, she also had a "horrible time logging in" and only half of her child's class was able to get into the DOE's system.
"Long gone are the days of just a snow day and everyone just has off," Schools Chancellor David Banks said Monday. "It's one of the good things that in fact emerged from the pandemic, was our preparedness to be ready for moments like this. And I think the school system is more than prepared."
Banks admitted there could be small technical hiccups, but they will try to "minimize those glitches," saying technical issues shouldn't be a major problem Tuesday since the city’s more than 1,800 schools have been drilling for this situation in recent months.
"COVID took months if not years away from the education and the socialization of our children. We need to minimize how many days our children are just sitting at home making snowmen like I did and they need to catch up," the mayor said, giving families a day to make alternate childcare plans.
At a morning press conference with other city leaders outlining their plan for Tuesday, Mayor Eric Adams defended the city's call to implement remote learning instead of giving kids a snow day.
"I did no internet or remote learning as a child, I wish we would have," Adams added.
Some parents seemed split, or even confused, on the matter. While it won't be any different than pandemic learning, some parents noted, others said that it means they will have to change their work plans in order to make sure their kids will be attending class online.
"It’s not a good use of anyone’s time. Adams should call it what it is: a snow day," one parent shared in a group chat board, saying they wouldn't be logging their child on because learning in that matter "doesn't work."
Banks did say that thee should be time for snowy recreation for kids — but after class time.
"By 3 p.m., we want them to have fun. I'm not a Grinch," he said.
The introduction of remote learning isn't keeping snow days from all kids. By Monday afternoon, Yonkers Public Schools was among dozens of districts that announced its schools would be closed on Tuesday.
In addition, New York City has suspended alternate side parking regulations for Tuesday. Parking meters will remain in effect -- and the city reminded New Yorkers of their responsibilities regarding clearing snow.
Precipitation will begin late Monday. The storm will bring a period of moderate to heavy snow, and rain transitioning to a rain/snow mix and then snow down the coast.
Snowfall rates up to 2 inches an hour are possible with this system; parts of the Hudson Valley could see 8 to 12 inches. At this point, the New York City forecast calls for 3 to 5 inches, though much remains uncertain.
