Richmond Community Schools’ student and staff information was breached in an online attack, and instruction will be delayed two hours on Monday as employees work on tech issues and prepare low-tech lessons.
The RCS network was targeted on Friday, Sept. 27, and information housed in a tool it uses, PowerSchool, was breached. Bridget Hazelbaker, director of student support services and communications, sent a news release late Saturday afternoon.
PowerSchool is a communication portal for K-12 schools that families and students can access anytime to view information such as assignments, grades on homework and tests, schedules, and attendance. Teachers and school officials also can use it to send messages and announcements.
According to PowerSchool’s website, it’s used by 18,000 school organizations for more than 60 million students in more than 90 countries.
While there’s no current evidence of misuse, RCS has shut down its data services network and is actively investigating the breach with help from local, state and federal agencies, the release said.
Although RCS officials are working to restore systems as soon as possible, it could take several days to regain full functionality in all of them, the release said.
RCS will delay busing and classes by two hours on Monday, Sept. 30, as employees work to resolve the issue. No morning preschool will be offered.
The district’s teachers and staff are preparing low-tech lesson plans for the first few days of school this week.
“RCS is taking this situation very seriously and we appreciate your patience and understanding as we work through this issue,” the release said. “As soon as additional information becomes available, we will keep you informed.”
A version of this article appeared in the October 2 2024 print edition of the Western Wayne News.