JACKSON, MI (WKZO-AM/FM) – The Jackson County Intermediate School District announced that students in Jackson and Hillsdale Counties will return to classes on Thursday, weather permitting, as progress has been made restoring access to essential computer systems and network resources following a weekend ransomware attack.
According to a statement by Superintendent Kevin Oxley, the priority was to restore essential systems first, and that students might not initially have complete access to several technology resources as JCISD staff and cybersecurity experts wrap up the remaining restoration work.
The incident remains under investigation.
The complete statement:
Good afternoon,
I have great news to share regarding the restoration of our critical operating systems. Thanks to the around-the-clock work by our tech team and cybersecurity experts, we are prepared to welcome students back to school tomorrow, Thursday, November 17, 2022.
Our number one priority was to get kids back in school and we’re thrilled to be able to do that tomorrow. While our restoration efforts continue, we prioritized bringing essential systems back online in order to allow us to safely resume operations and reopen school buildings across Jackson and Hillsdale counties. However, students will continue to have limited access to several technology resources when they return tomorrow, as our teams continue to work on restoring additional systems.
We understand the challenges this incident has created for our community. Unfortunately, the criminals responsible for ransomware attacks such as these have been targeting school districts like ours across the country. We want to thank our students, families and employees for doing their part in the ongoing recovery and we appreciate your patience and understanding.
We understand there may be additional questions surrounding this incident, however our investigation into the incident remains ongoing. We will continue to focus on our restoration efforts and we will provide additional updates as appropriate.
Sincerely,
Kevin Oxley
Superintendent, Jackson County ISD
