Traverse City, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – The students who go to Traverse City Area Public Schools (TCAPS) will have an extra day (or two) to celebrate spring break – but not for a good reason. And it’s no joke, even though it’s April Fools’ Day soon.
Phone calls and emails went out on Saturday evening regarding what TCAPS Superintendent, John R. VanWagoner II, described as a “network disruption that impacted the functionality and access of certain systems.”
TCAPS sends out alert about network issues.
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In his email, VanWagoner said, “Upon discovery of this incident, TCAPS immediately disconnected access to the network and promptly engaged a specialized third-party cybersecurity firm and IT personnel to assist with securing the environment, as well as, to conduct a comprehensive investigation to determine the nature and scope of the incident.”
He went on to say, “Since the forensic investigation remains ongoing, we will provide additional updates as more information becomes available. We appreciate your patience as we continue to assess this situation.”
Classes cancelled Monday, possibly Tuesday.
As a result, classes are cancelled Monday, April 1st with the potential of them also being cancelled on Tuesday the 2nd. The school anticipates communicating more information about the status of the school being open on Sunday night or Monday morning.
TCAPS is asking the staff to refrain from using any TCAPS systems and once systems become available, to reset passwords and multi factor authentication.
The email advised, “At some point on Monday or possibly Tuesday, staff will be asked to bring staff laptops on site in order to get crucial network upgrades (it is currently uncertain whether upgrades can be pushed out to all devices or if it will require a manual upgrade).”
VanWagoner promised, “Protecting the integrity of our systems and the information we maintain is critically important to us. While we already have robust measures in place to protect against these types of incidents, we are committed to taking additional steps to further enhance our safeguards moving forward.”
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On Saturday night, although the email and phone systems were working which allowed the school system to get in touch with TCAPS staff, the website was down.
Updated message from TCAPS on Monday, April 1st:
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TCAPS Staff and Families: In an effort to protect critical district systems, Traverse City Area Public Schools has decided to cancel classes on Tuesday, April 2, 2024. The extra day will allow our technical team time to complete critical testing of our infrastructure. All classes will resume on Wednesday, April 3, 2024. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Dr. John R. VanWagoner, Superintendent, Traverse City Area Public Schools |
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