What Happened: The city had not hired IBM to handle a remote learning surge this large.
Ever since schools closed during the pandemic, many districts have opted to forgo typical snow days and instead hold classes virtually. Last year, city officials asked schools to test virtual instruction in preparation for days when school is closed because of weather conditions.
But IBM was not directly involved in the simulations.
Since around 2019, IBM had been expected to provide 400 logins per second for the district, according to its contract. At around 1 p.m. on Feb. 12, school officials notified a member of IBM’s technical team that “there may be a remote learning day the next day,” Ms. Hunt said during testimony before the City Council on Wednesday.
The notification came three hours after a public announcement by the school district that schools would be remote the next day. And it did not include any executive leaders at IBM, Ms. Hunt said.
When more than 900,000 children and educators tried to join classes at around the same time on Feb. 13, the company’s systems were overwhelmed by the surge.
“The Department of Education had a closet door when it needed a barn door,” Ms. Hunt said at the City Council hearing. “At over 2,000 transactions per second, everyone tried to rush through that door at once.”
Why It Matters: The city has struggled to respond to severe weather.
Mayor Eric Adams’s administration has previously faced intense criticism of its preparedness for bad weather — and the winter storm offered a major test for the school district.
When a council member asked whether the Education Department had provided sufficient notice to IBM, Ms. Hunt said, “I think that we would both agree that it was not adequate.”
She added that the company had previously recommended that city officials adopt a different system that could provide more concurrent logins.
Emma Vadehra, the Education Department’s chief operating officer, said at the hearing that “we are deeply regretful about what happened.” But she also said that the system “did undertake a series of work over the past few months to be as prepared as we could.”
Still, several council members pointed out that the city announced plans to replace traditional snow days with remote learning several years ago, and questioned why officials had not changed the terms of the contract since then.
“The fact that we’re now in 2024” and “such a large chasm exists between what’s on paper and what happened in reality is really stunning,” Shekar Krishnan, a councilman who represents parts of northern Queens, said.
What’s Next: Staggered start times on remote days?
For now, New York City still plans to transition to remote classes for winter storms and other inclement weather.
But in the future, children might be asked to log on for school at different times throughout the morning. School officials said that IBM had recommended the change, but acknowledged that it would not be ideal.
“I would worry that it wouldn’t work,” Gale Brewer, a city councilwoman who represents most of the Upper West Side, said.
Dana Rubinstein contributed reporting.
