Metro Schools: Network problems now resolved, try logging in again

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Metro Nashville Public Schools reported network issues as students began their first day of remote learning on Tuesday. The district says students who are having problems logging in will not be penalized.

In an updated tweet, Metro schools said the issue seems to be resolved. Anyone who was having problems should try logging in again.

Earlier, MNPS said that parents reported problems logging in on devices that were issued by the district.

"Frustration, just pure frustration," said Kristin Lilley, an MNPS parent. "At one point it just kept saying connecting, connecting, connecting, but it wasn’t."

When Lilley and her son signed on to Metro's virtual school program called Schoolology, it took nearly an hour for the launch page to load.

Once it finally did, both Kristin and Adrian struggled to navigate the program. "I wasn’t expecting a smooth sail but hopefully after this first week the kinks and everything kind of get worked out and it just gets a lot easier for parents," she said.

Lilley says a little instruction for the parents would have been helpful. "Like an in-person demo as far as how it’s going to work and the whole setup and layout. I would have been very happy to attend something like that," said Lilley.

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MNPS announced in July that students would begin the school year remotely and continue its virtual learning plan until at least Labor Day. The district has not announced a date for students to head back into classrooms.

Online learning will be an adjustment for many students. While teachers will be there to help, Director of Schools Dr. Adrienne Battle said it's also a time for parents to be more involved in their child's education.

“This is also a great opportunity to take an active role in your child's education and one of the benefits of the virtual learning experiences is our parents and families will have access to all of their students' classroom and instructional materials, so they can essentially be engaged and see how their student is interacting with the content,” said Dr. Battle.

For the time being, all students in the district will have to rely on laptops. Earlier in the summer, the city announced the school district was approved to buy 90,000. MNPS wants all 86,000 students to have one for online learning.

New laptops won't arrive until mid-August, but last week many students were able to pick up laptops that the schools already had.

The group Nashville PROPEL, a coalition of parents and grandparents of K-12 students, is calling on school leaders and elected officials to "immediately create a plan to get devices to students and provide parents with the adequate support they need for remote learning."

Sonya Thomas, Executive Director of Nashville PROPEL and education advocate, released a statement Monday:

MNPS is the only Middle Tennessee school district to begin remotely. Other districts have announced hybrid plans or mask mandates to begin the school year.