Providence public schools have been without internet access since last Wednesday after irregular activity was detected on the network. IT staff quickly shut down the network as a precaution and contacted the proper authorities, according to Superintendent Javier Montañez. A third-party company has been hired to analyze the network, which has not yet been restored.
“The analysis is currently underway to gather more information, but initial findings did not show evidence that district data was compromised,” Montañez wrote in a letter to families on Monday evening. Spokesperson Jay Wegimont did not confirm or deny if the irregular activity could have been a hack. He said more information will be shared once the analysis is completed.
City spokesperson Josh Estrella said the Providence police department is not investigating the matter. Teachers have reported problems accessing digital curricula and items that require a network connection, such as printers. They take attendance on a digital platform and also update grades and communicate with parents online.
Internet outage impacts Providence schools
School was only in its second week when the network was shut down. Maribeth Calabro, the president of the Providence Teachers Union, said about 75 percent of the curriculum is online.
Teachers have been adapting with offline materials if they had them, and district officials have delivered some printed materials to schools. “It’s amazing how much we, from administrators down to custodial staff, rely on technology to communicate,” Calabro said. She added that teachers have expressed confusion about which devices or platforms they can currently use, so most are just not using electronic devices at all.
Montañez said WiFi hotspots have been delivered to main offices to maintain essential services. “The district has taken measures to ensure that school operations and student learning continue as usual, with classes proceeding as scheduled,” he wrote in the letter. He also mentioned that student and staff information systems are separate from the network.
“While we do not have an exact timeline as to when the network will be up and running, we assure you that we are doing everything possible and following proper protocol to expedite the process,” Montañez said.
