After a recent storm in the area, East Lyme High School’s wifi was knocked out, and everyone thought it would’ve been a quick fix. It turned into over a week of frustration that disrupted classes and forced the school to reschedule junior PSATs twice.
The week after the storm, the wifi’s reliability remained inconsistent. Students opened laptops expecting to work on
assignments, only to find themselves staring at loading screens that never loaded. Teachers planned lessons that required the internet, then had to scramble to come up with backup activities when the connection failed.
“I sit here all day monitoring the wifi, switching between the firewalls when one breaks down,” head of the technology department Ben McCarthy said.
For many students, the most frustrating situation happened with junior PSAT testing. The inconsistent wifi forced the school to reschedule the PSATs not once, but twice. Juniors finally took the test just two days before the deadline, cutting it dangerously close.
The repeated delays resulted in stress on students who were already anxious about testing. The uncertainty leading up to test day made it challenging to focus on other schoolwork.
Teachers were also impacted during the chaotic week. A majority of lessons rely on online resources like Google Slides, Google Classroom, YouTube, and more. When the wifi kept crashing mid-lesson, teachers lost valuable class time and students missed out on important material.
The problem wasn’t limited to only testing days. Students in classes like AP Research rely heavily on internet access for research papers and projects that exist entirely online. Without consistent wifi, completing work becomes a frustrating battle against technology instead of the regular learning experience.
“We’ve gotten behind due to the wifi troubles, and it gives us less time for all of our research assignments,”AP Research student and junior Talia Schaperow said.
Students who could use hotspots or had reliable internet at home could complete work without interruption, but could still end up being overwhelmed with what would’ve been classwork. Students who depend on the school wifi to access and complete their assignments fell behind through no fault of their own.
As schools become more digital, students grow more reliant on reliable internet access. Students depend on consistent wifi access to succeed in their classes, complete assignments, and take required standardized tests without last-minute panic.
The question now is how the school will prevent similar disruptions after future storms or other issues. Students and teachers are hoping the school has a backup plan ready in case of another emergency such as this.
