New York Metropolis dad and mom had been left fuming Wednesday after the web site accepting their youngsters’s public faculty purposes buckled underneath excessive site visitors — someday earlier than the deadline.
Hundreds of incoming center and highschool college students have till the tip of Thursday to submit their purposes for the subsequent educational yr — nevertheless quite a few dad and mom instructed The Publish they haven’t been capable of load the web site to add the correct paperwork.
“The location is simply not working for me. I feel there’s simply heavy use. It’s the equal of attempting to purchase Taylor Swift tickets proper now,” one involved mom, Lindsay Owen, instructed The Publish.
Owen mentioned Wednesday night that she had been sitting on her laptop for hours attempting to finish a highschool software for her son by the DOE’s MySchools net platform that she mentioned ought to solely take a couple of minutes.
“The location goes at a snail’s tempo and it might probably’t address the site visitors. Clearly numerous dad and mom have left it to the final minute like me, however a deadline is a deadline and in case you do it in time, the method must be simple,” she mentioned.
“I’m harassed as a result of there doesn’t appear to be any remark from the DOE as to what occurs if I can’t get this submitted,” she mentioned, including that she might need to submit a paper software with steering counselor on Thursday.
The DOE didn't instantly reply to The Publish’s request for remark, however launched a press release confirming the location was experiencing issues because of excessive site visitors.
“Households making use of to center or highschool: As a consequence of excessive web site site visitors, http://MySchools.nyc is experiencing delays: we're presently working to deal with,” the division tweeted. “Please observe that candidates have till 12/9 to submit any further necessities, corresponding to auditions or assessments.”
When attempting to log into MySchools, dad and mom had been met with a message: “Site visitors is presently excessive, and also you’ll have entry to your account shortly. We respect your persistence.”
In accordance with the DOE, purposes will be submitted on-line — which was really useful — or by a college students’ faculty counselor or at a Household Welcome Middle.
Manhattan mother or father Robin Kelleher, who has an eighth grader making use of to excessive faculties, mentioned the location crash was not shocking, however nonetheless a irritating expertise.
She mentioned Wednesday she needed to examine the web site round seven occasions earlier than it was lastly again up and operating.
“It all the time crashes when outcomes come out or when there’s a time the place they anticipate a considerable amount of site visitors,” mentioned Kelleher, a member of the Neighborhood Schooling Council for District 2.
She famous that folks who don’t have infinite hours to examine the web site are left at a disservice by the DOE.
Many requested whether or not the deadline might be prolonged if the issue is just not resolved by Thursday’s deadline.
“Myschools remains to be down, if it’s not mounted earlier than purposes are due, then will there be an extension? Excessive site visitors ought to have been anticipated,” one mother or father requested the division on Twitter.
“Since yesterday, Myschools is just not allowing you to add the extra supplies (essay, audition wmv video file) that sure excessive faculties require with an software. The finished purposes are due in 2 days. Can the deadline be prolonged due to this glitch?” tweeted one other mother or father, Abdul Sheir.
The DOE introduced in September that it could be overhauling its controversial, pandemic-era highschool admissions course of and return to prioritizing educational achievement when screening candidates to among the metropolis’s most selective public excessive faculties.
The announcement marked a shift from the contentious coverage rolled out final yr underneath the administration of former mayor Invoice de Blasio that put much less of a premium on good grades. Officers mentioned the modifications aimed to acknowledge that conventional metrics used within the admissions course of, like attendance and check scores, had been impacted by COVID-19 faculty closures.
Critics mentioned it resulted in college students being positioned in faculties not matched with their talents — and generally distant from their properties and throughout boroughs.
Moreover, for the primary time for the reason that pandemic, screening was re-implemented at center faculties the place superintendents so select, primarily based on suggestions from dad and mom and faculties.
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