Easthampton Public Schools shut down all its online systems after detecting suspicious network activity, forcing staff to coordinate school operations manually while classes continued Wednesday, the city said.
The district is working with forensic specialists to investigate the activity and bring systems back online, according to a statement the City of Easthampton posted Wednesday. Officials gave no restoration timetable.
“We immediately shut down all online systems as a precaution,” the statement said. The district said it had “reverted to manual coordination methods” while classes continued.
Superintendent Michelle Balch told families Tuesday evening that the district had discovered a cybersecurity incident, according to Western Mass News. The district’s computer network would remain down until further notice while specialists investigated, the outlet reported.
ParentSquare remained the district’s main communication channel for families, though service inside schools might be inconsistent and responses could take longer. Staff set up hotspots to support communication while the network was down, Western Mass News reported.
The district was reviewing door security and nurses’ access to medical records, Western Mass News reported.
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Easthampton is in Hampshire County in western Massachusetts. Its public school district enrolled 1,340 students in the 2025-26 school year, according to the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
The disruption follows a separate September cyber incident at Springfield Public Schools. Springfield kept students home through the end of that week and planned their return Sept. 14 under temporary procedures while technology systems remained limited, according to the city.
Easthampton officials have not identified the source of the suspicious activity or said whether anyone accessed district data. The city said the investigation and efforts to bring systems back online were continuing.
