Springfield Public Schools in Massachusetts closed for a second consecutive day on Sept. 9 as officials worked to contain a severe cyber incident that disrupted systems needed for essential school operations, including access to student medical records.
The district, which serves about 24,000 students, classified the incident as a districtwide Level 4 severe incident after an outside group gained access to its network and blocked access to certain online programs. Federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies are involved in the investigation, according to a city press release. Officials have not said whether student or employee personal information was compromised.
Minor, intermittent disruptions began Sept. 1 and escalated into malicious cyber traffic on Sept. 5, the district said. Schools first closed Sept. 8 as IT and security personnel worked to restore critical systems and determine the scope of the incident.
Access to student medical records is among the affected services, the district said. Without that access, school nurses do not have the information they need to dispense medication or respond to student allergies and other health needs. Officials said schools will reopen once nurses regain access to those records.
“The decision to close schools is not made lightly,” Superintendent Sonia Dinnall said in the district’s initial closure announcement. “The most important consideration will always be the health and safety of those inside our school buildings. We simply are not willing to risk any lapse in that.”
The cyber incident has also disrupted phones, email, curriculum resources, and other records. Students and staff have been directed to stay off district networks, school email accounts, and district-issued laptops and other electronic devices until further notice.
The district is preparing to operate schools with reduced access to technology once students return. Officials said attendance and other online processes may need to be completed by hand, and teachers could rely on books, notebooks, and paper as systems are restored.
“We are erring on the side of caution to make sure that we have all of the information that is needed, that the proper health, education, transportation, food aspects are taken care of, and then we’ll get our kids – our students, teachers, staff, and administration back into school,” Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said in a press conference.
The district is communicating with families through text messages and social media while other communications systems remain unavailable.
“We understand that an unexpected closure creates significant challenges, and we appreciate the patience, flexibility, and understanding of the entire SPS community as we work to address this incident and restore systems,” Dinnall said.
