Principals are disappointed with NYC Zoom ban

Zoom is all the rage these days, allowing people to conduct business and catch up with family and friends over video chat during the social distancing period brought on by the novel coronavirus pandemic. But the New York City school system has turned against the platform.

Many teachers and students have been using Zoom for remote learning purposes since schools closed, which has apparently led to some privacy and security concerns, Chalkbeat reports. "Based on the {New York City Department of Education's] review off those documented concerns, the DOE will no longer permit the use of Zoom at this time," a memo shared with principals and obtained by Chalkbeat said.

Instead, teachers have been told to switch to Microsoft Teams because it's more secure and functions similarly.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

There have certainly been some issues with Zoom, including students logging into other classes and sharing inappropriate images or audio, but the department's decision has received criticism from local politicians.

Several principals were also disappointed, per Chalkbeat. "It's taking all the work we've done and flushing it down the toilet — and you're going to lose some kids along the way," said one Brooklyn principal speaking on condition of anonymity who added that the loss of Zoom could be a hindrance for students with disabilities or families with limited fluency with technology. Read more at Chalkbeat.