Some Worcester Public Schools delayed their start to classes this morning because Google was down. It's a new problem this year with remote learning.

Students use Google Classroom to access classes, schoolwork, and grades. 

Worcester School Committee member Laura Clancey said that, because they had no access, classes for high school students were pushed back about a half-hour. She says they've had to make a lot of adjustments this year as they navigate the "new normal.”

"Nothing like Monday morning at 6:30 to start to deal with this,” Clancey said. “I think this is absolutely the year we are facing, still, the sign of the times. If we knew it was projected to be longer, we would have had to call a school day. Luckily, Google was keeping us updated as best as they could, but it was a global shutdown, so it was definitely interesting.”

Clancey says there won't be any snow days this year, as they will be replaced with virtual learning days, and days off are now determined by long-lasting power – or Google – outages.