Cyberattack Disrupts Systems at Radford Schools in Southwestern Virginia

Radford City Public Schools, located in Radford, Virginia, experienced a cybersecurity incident that disrupted portions of its internal systems, officials confirmed last week. Superintendent Adam Joyce informed families on June 11 that the district had activated its security protocols and brought in cybersecurity specialists. State and federal investigators are also involved. The attack affected internal operations such as central office telephones and livestreaming capabilities, though critical safety infrastructure—including security cameras and controlled-access doors—remained unaffected. Radford City Public Schools enrolled approximately 3,333 students during the 2024–25 academic year.

The incident’s timing during summer break allowed the district to focus on containment and recovery without disrupting classroom learning. Restoration of the affected systems is ongoing, and district leaders pledged to provide further updates as the situation evolves. Joyce did not confirm whether any personal data had been exposed, a concern that remains common in recent school cyberattacks. Radford is the latest in a growing list of public school systems nationwide to experience such disruptions in 2025.

The Radford event echoes a broader trend of education-sector cyber incidents across the U.S. this year. In June, South Carolina’s Lexington-Richland School District Five reported a cyberattack that delayed $1,500 employee bonuses. In May, Oregon’s Central Point School District and Pennsylvania’s Allentown School District experienced significant outages—Allentown due to an attack on its third-party ed-tech vendor, EdforTech. These incidents, along with others in Michigan, Georgia, and Texas, reflect escalating threats against K–12 institutions, many of which are still bolstering their digital defenses amid limited resources.