Michigan’s Kalamazoo Schools Disrupted in Latest of Nationwide Cyber Incidents

A network security breach has left Kalamazoo Public Schools (KPS) in Kalamazoo, Michigan, without internet and email access since Wednesday, April 30, 2025. While district officials claim there is "no evidence to suggest it was a targeted attack," such statements downplay the reality that most ransomware operations are opportunistic. The district hired a third-party IT firm to investigate, and Superintendent Dr. Darrin Slade has stated systems will remain offline until they are confirmed safe. Though the phone system remains operational, middle school conferences were canceled and students were released early the day after the outage.

This disruption comes amid a broader wave of cyberattacks targeting U.S. school systems throughout 2025. Recent victims include Coweta County Schools in Georgia, Bartlesville Public Schools in Oklahoma, and Santa Fe ISD in Texas. In North Carolina, the Qilin ransomware group claimed responsibility for taking down Bertie County Schools. Despite this clear national trend, Kalamazoo officials have not acknowledged whether ransomware is involved, nor have they clarified whether any sensitive data was affected, leaving families, staff, and the public with limited information.

As of May 6, KPS systems remain offline with no timeline for restoration. Teachers and students have reverted to manual processes, and access to digital instruction, communication, and records remains unavailable. Staff have been told not to use district-issued devices or Google accounts. This prolonged outage underscores both the disruption these attacks cause and the vulnerability of underfunded school IT infrastructures. Without more transparency or urgency from leadership, the district’s ability to regain public trust and operational stability remains uncertain.