All elementary and middle schools in Zion are closed for the third day in a row after Zion School District 6 was the target of a cybersecurity incident that breached the school’s servers.
Zion Elementary School District 6 said on Sunday that they were responding to a cybersecurity incident that “may have compromised” electronic files and servers across the district.
“We are working diligently to determine the credibility and full extent of this potential breach,” the school said in a message to parents.
The district office and all schools were closed on Monday for students and staff to allow for a “thorough, immediate investigation of this matter.”
The schools in the district include Beulah Park Elementary School, East Elementary School, Lakeview Elementary School, West Elementary School, Elmwood Elementary School, Shiloh Park Middle School and Zion Central Middle School.
All before and after-school activities were canceled as well. “We appreciate your understanding and patience as we work to resolve this critical matter.”
In an update on Monday, the school district announced that all schools and offices would again be closed on Tuesday, along with before and after-school activities.
Officials said they were continuing to respond to a cybersecurity incident that “may have” impacted systems and servers across the district.
Some district services have been suspended as a result of the attack.
“We are working diligently with third-party cybersecurity specialists to evaluate the nature and scope of this incident and restore functionality as securely and quickly as possible,” the district said in the message to parents.
Classes remained in session for students attending out-of-district instructional programs and transportation would continue as scheduled.
“We understand the inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your patience and understanding. We will provide updates as soon as more information becomes available,” the message said.
In a subsequent update on Tuesday, Zion Elementary School District 6 said all schools would be canceled for student instruction on Wednesday, along with before and after-school activities.
Staff are in the buildings on Wednesday in preparation for students’ return.
All schools will reopen for student instruction on Thursday, at which time all before and after-school activities will resume as normal.