MyMCPS Portal, the system used by MCPS students to check their grades, experienced some technical difficulties, rejecting the correct ID and password and therefore not allowing students to log in on Friday, Jan. 31. The issue was fixed Monday afternoon. The parent/guardian accounts were unaffected by the issue, and students could continue to access a limited version of the Portal with the MyMCPS app.The problem also meant students could not use the school’s desktops.

Collin Fotia, WJ’s IT manager, says the issue was rooted in MCPS’s user management system, called Active Directory Users and Computers.

“Everybody has a user account in something called Active Directory… I think there was something going on over the weekend in terms of maintenance and essentially all of the active directory accounts were not refreshed back into the system, and this caused the disconnect [which prevented students from] being able to access computer workstations,” Fotia said.

The county-wide breakdown led to disruption in classes that rely on desktop computers for learning materials, like the Commercial Art class that sophomore Camille Lorillou is in. However, she says this unexpected problem was beneficial for her.

“We had a project due on Thursday and for an entire class we couldn’t work on it which meant that we had to work on it after school… But also, during that class I had a lot of tests, so the fact that I had a free period helped me study for those tests and be more prepared,” Lorillou said.

Just weeks before, a website titled “I am Not Kevin Higgs” allowed students to use their Portal ID and password to view their second semester schedules early. The website stored schedule information to allow students who log in to see the names of the people with whom they shared classes. After just a few days, the website ceased working after the unknown individual operating it claimed that MCPS had discovered his identity.