The so-called “April Pool’s Day” — the first day to register for free swimming lessons offered this summer by the city of St. Paul — got off to a frustrating start for many parents, who in some cases found the free slots taken within minutes of the start of online registration on Monday morning.

All slots were filled within two hours, and some almost immediately, according to St. Paul Parks and Recreation. Adding to the confusion, many St. Paul parents received what city officials called a default error message indicating their child was not eligible because they did not live within the city limits, even though they do in fact reside in St. Paul. City officials blamed the city’s new Parks and Rec registration software, which has given them headaches for weeks.

“After looking into the issue, we can confirm that this message was incorrectly displayed as the default for classes that became full and was unrelated to residential status,” said St. Paul Parks and Recreation Director Andy Rodriguez, in a written statement. “We understand the frustration this may have caused and apologize for the confusion as we continue to adjust to our new registration system.”

In the interest of supporting equitable access to water safety, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter recently announced that swim classes would be available to city youth this summer, free of charge, with registration beginning at 9 a.m. on Monday. The “April Pool’s Day” registration launch has been promoted on the city’s social media channels and through news media.

Jacquie Mercer, a bartender, said she logged on promptly at 9 a.m., only to be shut out of the registration system. She said her family income is low, despite living in a city neighborhood where median income is high, raising suspicion in her mind that preference was allotted by geographic corner of the city. It would take her two hours of phone calls to get a human being on the line on Monday morning, and when she did, she was told hundreds of spots had been taken “within one minute,” which she considered unlikely.

“The decision to implement a first-come-first-serve registration system for the swimming lessons was a reckless misjudgment,” said Mercer, in a letter Monday to the mayor’s office. “It should have been obvious that such a system would favor those with fast internet connections and ample free time, disadvantaging many residents, including myself and my children, who have been enrolled in this summer program for many years, and have been eagerly awaiting this opportunity for months.”

On social media, another parent wrote on Monday: “I received error messages at 9am that prevented me from checking out dozens of times so now I’m told we were too late, despite being queued in their waiting room at 8:55 (a.m.) This was a preposterous #fail. … They keep telling me different stories on the phone.”

Rodriguez said his department would work through “community partners” to enroll additional participants “who have historically experienced barriers to water safety programs and recreation.” Certain registrations have been set aside for the disabled.

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