Providence Public Schools is experiencing "unprecedented network issues" after a security breach last week.
The district first announced Thursday that there had been "irregular activity" on their network, saying they took immediate action to investigate and address it when it was discovered Wednesday.
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The district hired a third-party IT company to provide support in restoring normal system functions and operations -- out of an abundance of caution. That agency advised the district shut down their network so IT experts could conduct a forensic review.
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Internet access was down on all PPSD sites, and the district said they were working diligently to restore it.
The investigation remained ongoing but the district said there was no evidence that any data had been impacted.
"We continue to work to address any potential service interruptions and ensure PPSD operations are
minimally impacted," the district said in a letter to families on Sept. 12. "Staff from central administration have been deployed to provide additional support at the school level. School security systems and protocols remain active while classes continue."
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In a subsequent letter to the school community on Monday, the district said they are continuing to experience network connectivity issues -- "all internet-connected systems remain down as IT experts work diligently to assess the network and determine the next steps for a swift resolution."
Classes are proceeding as scheduled, as the district said it has taken measures to ensure that school operations and student learning continue as usual. This includes staff from central administration continuing to provide support with operations and education plans; instructional activities and resources that do not require internet access were shared with schools last week; and the district securing hotspots for school offices to maintain essential services during the internet outage.
School security systems and protocols continue to remain active, the district said, as it continued to emphasize that there's no evidence that PPSD data has been affected.
During this period of "unprecedented network issues," the district provided several contact options to family, including:
- Schools: All schools can be reached by phone and you may find their phone numbers here. You
- may also reach out through our family communication system, ParentSquare.
- District: District offices and schools will continue to use our family communication system, ParentSquare, to communicate with staff and families. You may also contact the Office of Family and Community Engagement at (401) 456-0686 or face@ppsd.org with questions.
- Registration: If you have a question about registration, reach out at (401) 456-9297 or inforeg@ppsd.org.
- Special Education: If you want to inquire about a student’s IEP or special education support, please contact their offices at (401) 456-9330.
- Multilingual Learners: If you have questions about multilingual learners please contact (401) 456-9256.
- Pre-K: If you have questions about pre-kindergarten services please contact (401) 456-9100 x13230.
- Health Offices: If you have questions about health services contact (401) 456-9318.
- Transportation: We encourage you to use our new bus tracking app, FirstView. To download the FirstView Bus Tracking Mobile App go to web.firstviewapp.com. The District code is SGMY. If a bus is late or did not arrive, please call the bus yard (401) 943-7536. All other transportation questions can be directed to our Transportation Department directly by phone (401) 456-9269, text (401) 420-7960, or email, transportation@ppsd.org.
Later Monday, Providence Superintendent Dr. Javier Montañez sent another community update regarding the internet connectivity issues after district officials received several questions from families and staff throughout the day.
"Per our protocols and as is standard with this type of activity on networks, PPSD quickly shut down the network and contacted the proper authorities," Montañez reiterated of the steps taken immediately after the breach. "The analysis is currently underway to gather more information but initial findings did not show evidence that District data was compromised."
The superintendent said the district has worked diligently in the last few days, including over the weekend, to ensure that they can restore services and systems as soon as possible.
According to Montañez, misinformation is being spread regarding this matter. The superintendent says it has been
reported on social media by an anonymous source that the District family communication platform,
ParentSquare, has been compromised.
"This is a false and dangerous rumor that would negatively impact our ability to connect and communicate with families," Montañez said. "ParentSquare is a cloud based system that is independent of the PPSD network and therefore was not impacted. We also want to note that our student and staff information systems are also separate from our network."
"At this time we want to emphasize that community members should refer to official communication from the District for their updates and not social media," the superintendent continued.
There is no exact timeline as to when the network will be up and running, according to Montañez, who assured Providence families that the district is "doing everything possible and following proper protocol to expedite the process."
The district is continuing to work with its partners to address system disruptions.
Meanwhile, Providence School Board President Erlin Rogel told NBC10 Boston affiliate WJAR that the school board intends to address this issue with urgency and will be meeting in an executive session to learn more about the breach and how to resolve it.
“We also want to learn what liability resides with our network security vendor and what measures are being taken to ensure this doesn’t happen again,” Rogel said in a statement.
