According to a survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Education, many schools are ill-prepared for the Y2K computer bug as the new year approaches.
During a press conference last week to release the survey results, Marshall S. Smith, the acting deputy secretary of the department, expressed concerns that an estimated 1,000 to 1,500 schools may have to shut down due to the Y2K bug. The survey was completed by nearly 1,000 school districts in September, and 36 percent of them reported that their districts had not fully prepared their "mission critical" computer systems for any potential problems that may arise during the transition to the year 2000. The definition of "mission critical" systems was left to the individual respondents, but it usually includes systems related to business operations, fire protection, security, and transportation.
Furthermore, four percent of districts admitted that some of their mission-critical systems would not be ready by January 1st. These results indicate some improvement compared to a similar survey conducted by the Education Department in June, where 72 percent of the 3,500 districts surveyed reported having mission-critical systems that were not Y2K compliant. However, back then, only 2 percent said that those systems would not be ready by January 1st.
The latest survey also reveals that many districts have yet to resolve other non-mission-critical computer functions that are still crucial for school operations. For instance, 14 percent of districts stated that they did not expect all their infrastructure components, such as heating and telecommunication systems, to be ready by the start of the new year.
In terms of contingency plans, only 56 percent of survey respondents claimed to have completed such plans to handle potential Y2K disruptions, and only 83 percent said they would have contingency plans in place by January 1st. To address this issue, Mr. Smith recommended that districts utilize the next 65 days to finalize their plans and conduct thorough checks on key systems that impact student safety and essential business operations. He also encouraged parents and students to request independent confirmation from their districts regarding the adequacy of their Y2K fixes.
The Y2K bug is a result of the past programming practice of representing years with only the last two digits. Errors may occur when the year resets to "00."
