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District says AT&T MUX card failure caused two‑day internet outage that disrupted AP testing; IT outlines upgrades
Summary
Brea Olinda Unified School District Technology Director Josh Barton told the board the outage began about 9:30 a.m. on May 13 after AT&T equipment failed; connectivity was restored by the evening of May 14 and the district plans summer Wi‑Fi and switch upgrades to reduce future outages.
Brea Olinda Unified School District’s director of technology told trustees the district experienced a districtwide internet outage beginning about 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 13, after external service equipment at AT&T failed.
“Earlier this week BOUSD experienced a significant internet outage caused by an external service disruption from AT and T which began at approximately 09:30AM on Tuesday May 13,” Josh Barton said during the board meeting. He said district technicians and the Orange County Department of Education network services team confirmed district equipment remained operational and that AT&T identified a failed multiplexing (MUX) card in its central office after testing.
Barton walked the board through the district’s response, saying staff isolated the outage to AT&T’s uplink and kept continuous contact with AT&T, OCDE and site principals. He said AT&T ordered replacement parts; a first replacement did not fully restore service and a second part was installed and tested the evening of May 14. “By 08:30PM on Thursday the fourteenth … network connectivity was restored following installation and testing,” Barton said. He added that Technology Services re‑architected internal network topology to keep district telephony functional while the uplink was down.
The district acknowledged the outage interrupted digital testing, including Advanced Placement exams, and other instructional activities. Barton described immediate mitigation steps — on‑site checks at school sites, validation of critical systems, and a plan for long‑term resilience — and listed technology projects planned or underway: wireless access point upgrades at Brea Linda High School, district network switch upgrades completed in a final phase this summer, and continuing coordination with vendors such as AT&T.
Superintendent Brenda Leon thanked the IT team and said the board had previously approved Wi‑Fi upgrades in March. “We want the same things,” Leon said — reliable connectivity and minimal instructional interruption — and asked staff to bring back timelines and priorities so the board can match projects to funding and bond timelines.
Trustees and the superintendent emphasized communication with families during outages; the district said it uses ParentSquare as its primary parent notification system and asked families to confirm contact information. Barton also noted that some services the district relies on are routed through OCDE, which provides the district’s internet link and houses the district’s core firewall, explaining why an external provider outage can have broad impact.
Next steps: the district will complete summer infrastructure work (BOHS access point upgrades and final switch installations), continue monitoring, and report back to the board on prioritization and cost/timeline for remaining upgrades.
