UPDATE: Newton school officials said all classes in the district will be canceled again for Thursday as staff and police work to investigate a breach of the district’s computer system. Classes are expected to resume in full on Friday, March 31st.
All scheduled extracurricular athletic games and activities will continue as planned. NRC Clubhouse is providing latchkey all day Thursday.
Lunch will be provided Thursday for students who want it, and a sack lunch pickup will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Newton High School. The student’s account will be charged as normal.
School officials plan more updates as the investigation continues.
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The Newton school district cancelled all classes for Wedndesday after a computer network breach on Tuesday.
So far, district officials have not said exactly what happened or what data may have been accessed. The school district says some computers are being kept offline until it can be sure they are safe to use. Newton schools are working with law enforcement as an investigation is ongoing.
An email from the district included some questions that people may have regarding the incident. That information can be found below.
What happened?
On March 28, 2023, we detected a network security incident affecting certain systems within our network environment. We immediately shut down affected systems, and have engaged third party forensic specialists to investigate the extent of the activity. We have also notified law enforcement. The investigation is in the earliest stages and is currently ongoing.
Why was this called an internet outage at first?
That was our initial understanding of the incident. Upon further investigation we discovered it was actually a network security incident.
How did this happen?
We are currently working with third party forensic specialists to investigate the extent of the unauthorized activity, which includes the root cause. The investigation is in the earliest stages, and is currently ongoing.
Is my personal / business data involved?
We are thoroughly investigating the incident now with third-party forensic specialists. The investigation is in the earliest stages, and we have not yet determined the extent of the unauthorized activity, including whether any personal or confidential information was involved. If individual personal information is involved, we will notify affected individuals in accordance with relevant state and federal laws.
Was this ransomware?
To protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation, we are unable to share additional information about the nature of the incident.
Will this affect student class schedules or assignments?
We have cancelled school for Wednesday, March 29, 2023. We are still determining whether school will open Thursday, March 30, 2023.
Further, during this time there may be a disruption to certain resources, and we are working to mitigate any delays or interruptions. We thank you for your patience during this time.
When will the investigation be complete?
We cannot offer a definitive timeline at this point as this is a time intensive process. That said, we hope to conclude the investigation in the coming weeks.
