#ACT ‘screw-up’ shuts out NYC teens set for college entrance exam

About 100 teens who showed up to take the ACT college entrance exam at a Bronx high school Saturday found the building locked — and were turned away without explanation.

Dozens of anxious kids waited outside Frederick Douglas Academy III in the freezing cold for more than an hour, then crowded shoulder-to shoulder around the door — most of them wearing masks — when a custodian finally arrived. 

The custodian went inside, shut the door behind him and finally came back out to tell the teens that Principal Jumel Carlos “had no idea” the exam was scheduled. The ACT, a private company, administers the exam.

Carlos could not be reached for comment.

 “The ACT scheduled this testing site without getting in touch with anyone at the school or getting DOE’s approval,” said DOE spokeswoman Danielle Filson.

“We are following up with ACT to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” she said.

All NYC middle- and high schools have been closed for in-person classes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the DOE administered the admission test for specialized high schools in middle-school buildings on Jan. 27.

Parents who had paid $70 a pop for their kids to take the ACT tried frantically to reach the ACT to get answers.

“I have been on the phone for one and a half hours trying to reach someone. A hundred kids are outside the Bronx testing site and no administrator has shown up,” an outraged mom said.

“These high school kids were trying to do the right thing to get in college,” a dad told The Post. “For the test maker to pull the rug out from under them is unacceptable.”

The students and parents said they received no notice that the test was canceled, either by email or on the ACT’s website.

Finally, ACT tweeted: “I am very sorry about this! It does appear that this center was canceled. You should receive an email within two weeks regarding next steps. Again, I am very sorry about the inconvenience.”

The answer did not mollify students or parents, who said they should not have to wait two weeks for an email. The company should immediately reschedule the exam for those shut out, not leave them hanging for weeks or months, they said.

“This is your screw up @ACT. Fix it,” said a commenter on Twitter.

ACT spokesman John Wannemacher said the company is investigating what went wrong, and is “exploring options” to give the displaced students make-up dates this month.