It was “not business as usual” for UCDSB schools upon the return from the Christmas break. The day before the return, on Sunday, January 5, the local school board’s technical infrastructure went offline. Employees were unable to access their emails, or anything in the board’s network. Later that day, an official announcement was made that the board’s technology was offline, and that parents would have call in absences and pick up notices, since the My Family Room mobile app and the entire email system were both down.
On January 6, the UCDSB confirmed that the technology issues resulted from a “cyber incident”. Schools have been operating without access to the internet, which has limited the use of technology in classrooms, and has changed the process for certain other activities, such as new student registration.
The school board provided updates throughout the week, with some limited progress having been made by the end of last week. As of the time of writing, the board states that there is no evidence of a data breach. The police are assisting with the incident, since it involves criminal activity.
The UCDSB continues to remind parents to call regarding absences, late notices, and pick up scheduling. Student registrations must be completed in person while the online system is down. Board staff are unable to receive emails. Parents will be notified when the problem is resolved.
