Richmond Public Schools in Virginia shut off internet access Wednesday in response to a cybersecurity incident, limiting communications and online teaching tools while classrooms remained open.
Superintendent Jason Kamras said the precautionary shutdown also limited phone and email service. Schools planned to remain open through the week, with teachers adapting lessons to work without technology.
Employees encountered messages on district-issued laptops claiming the network and sensitive information had been compromised, VPM reported. The messages threatened to publish allegedly stolen information unless the district contacted the senders.
The district has confirmed a cybersecurity incident but has not confirmed the reported data-theft claims, identified an attacker or said whether ransomware was involved.
Teachers could not access attendance records, make copies, write passes or use interactive classroom boards, VPM reported, citing employees and other sources. Students could not use school-issued Chromebooks or access digital assignments.
“Attendance, making copies, grading, projecting, accessing content, logging into school technology, etc are all digital,” Richmond Education Association President Andrea Bryant told VPM. The union raised concerns about maintaining safety while educators worked without those systems.
Kamras said the incident was not affecting student or staff safety. District emails separately instructed staff not to connect computers, tablets, interactive screens or personal devices to school networks until further notice, according to VPM.
“We are actively working with outside cybersecurity experts and law enforcement to understand the full scope of the incident,” Kamras said in his Wednesday statement.
Chip in once
If this reporting helped you, a one-time tip helps cover hosting, tools and future investigations.
Support us monthly
A small monthly pledge keeps independent coverage and our reader tools online for everyone.
The district said further updates would come through ParentSquare, according to its divisionwide network-outage notice.
A similar disruption at Easthampton Public Schools in Massachusetts earlier this month forced staff to coordinate operations manually and use hotspots while classes continued.
Richmond officials had not announced a restoration timetable Wednesday afternoon. Kamras said the district was working to determine what happened and restore affected systems securely.
