Springfield Public Schools closed Wednesday amid cyber incident
District officials say student data was not compromised as investigation continues
SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) -- A cyber incident has taken Springfield Public Schools’ systems offline and district officials said that classes will be canceled again Wednesday.
The district announced the closure around 4 p.m. Monday as students were already out of school for the Labor Day holiday.
Officials said the cyber incident was first detected one week ago. System access was temporarily blocked to third-party cloud platforms that house sensitive student medical and transportation information. Officials said the data was not compromised.
District leaders added school buildings are secure and teachers are prepared to teach using books, pencils, and paper if systems remain offline.
The FBI, Massachusetts State Police, and local authorities are investigating how the incident happened. Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno said officials are limiting what they disclose while the investigation continues.
“Those individuals that have perpetrated this could be watching this right now, so, you know, we’re limited at what we want to say or what we’re going to say...period,” Sarno explained.
The district’s information technology department is working to restore its systems. In the meantime, the district sent more than 14,000 emergency text messages to families late Monday using a new platform called Edia. Elementary school families were urged to monitor ClassDojo for direct updates.
The district said in a statement about Wednesday’s closure:
“Due to the ongoing severe cyber incident that has interrupted the service of some systems necessary for essential school operations, Springfield Public Schools will be closed Wednesday, September 9, while officials continue to work to address the issue.
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."
Students and staff with district-issued laptops were instructed to stay off the district network and any school-related websites.
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