All elementary and middle schools in Zion reopened Thursday after being closed for days due to a cybersecurity incident targeting Zion School District 6 as school officials remain quiet on the impact.
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 were in the buildings on Wednesday in preparation for students’ return.
All schools reopened for student instruction on Thursday, at which time all before and after-school activities resumed as normal.
District officials said temporary adjustments have been made to select systems throughout the district to maintain a stable environment as part of the response to the cybersecurity incident.
“As we continue the ongoing investigation, each district system is being reviewed individually which may cause for intermittent suspension of service. Therefore, over the coming days, systems will be reinstated one at a time as they are fully reviewed,” the district said in a statement.
“While some systems have less impact on our overall environment than others, each is receiving the same level of attention to ensure we continue to maintain a safe and reliable environment for our school community,” the district added.
Temporary adjustments have been implemented to the school district’s communication plan. Outgoing communications will continue but incoming email is temporarily suspended until further notice.
Lake and McHenry County Scanner has reached out to school district officials to provide further details on the extent of the breach, including whether sensitive data was leaked.