Acting Superintendent Daniel Keever told the school board on Tuesday that the division's systems were restored by Feb. 14, thanks to working with the division's internal tech team and cybersecurity experts. On Feb. 9, WJCC Schools began experiencing network disturbances, which resulted in contacting local, federal law enforcement and cybersecurity experts to find the source.
Keever said the division is still collaborating with law enforcement in the investigation.
"We're grateful that this incident did not impact the physical safety of our campuses," Keever said. "Our students and teachers were able to engage in unplugged learning while our internet access and other systems were being restored."
Though progress has been made today in getting staff and students back online, schools were closed due to the snowstorm on Wednesday and Thursday with no virtual learning planned "because of the impact of last week's network outage," the division's Facebook page said.
"Shifting to remote learning requires teacher preparation — to ensure work and modules are posted online and activities are available. This preparation could not be completed last week in anticipation of any potential closure(s)," schools spokeswoman Kara Wall said.
Meanwhile, "out of an abundance of caution," the school division will provide free credit monitoring and identity restoration services for one year to students and staff, Keever said. Emails and letters from Kroll, a provider of identity restoration services, were to be sent out this week.
"We do not have evidence that any personal information is being used maliciously, but we want to reassure our community with confidence and tools to protect themselves," Keever said. "The safety of our community, WJCC and the learning experience for our students are critical to us, and we are using this incident as an opportunity to improve our cybersecurity posture."
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