Richmond Community Schools Hit by Ransomware Attack, Student Data Compromised
On September 27, 2024, Richmond Community Schools in Richmond, Indiana, fell victim to a ransomware attack that led to a data breach affecting student and staff information stored in the PowerSchool system. The compromised data includes student names, addresses, medical records, student identification numbers, and contact phone numbers, although Social Security numbers were unaffected. The district quickly responded by shutting down its data services network to prevent further unauthorized access. It is now working closely with local, state, and federal authorities to investigate and contain the breach. The district claims that there is no evidence of data misuse, but the investigation is ongoing.
Due to the attack, all Richmond Community Schools network services, including PowerSchool and Canvas, remain offline, and it may take several days to restore full functionality. To minimize disruption, the district announced a two-hour delay for Monday, September 30, and morning half-day preschool classes were canceled. Teachers have been instructed to prepare "low-tech" lesson plans for the next few days until systems are fully operational. Richmond Community Schools emphasized its commitment to resolving the issue and will update students, parents, and staff as more information becomes available.