We Asked Providence Schools What It Is Doing to Protect Families and Teachers' Data

We Asked Providence Schools What It Is Doing to Protect Families and Teachers' Data

We asked the Providence Public School Department what it is doing to protect the critical data of students, their families, and staff as a result of a major breach of the district's computer system.

PPSD has been under the direct control of the Rhode Island Department of Education since a state takeover in 2019. 

The PPSD controls data for families, which can include confidential health records, addresses, phone numbers, and more. More than 21,000 students attend Providence public schools.

GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST

PPSD has health insurance information, social security numbers, addresses, phone numbers, and much more for staff and teachers. PPSD employs approximately 2,000 teachers and another 1,000 staff members.

Finally, after two weeks, PPSD admitted that the data may be in the hands of hackers.

GoLocal broke this story two weeks ago and found that PPSD has repeatedly been unwilling to answer basic questions.

 

Here are the questions GoLocal asked PPSD officials on Wednesday:

 

GoLocal Question: Why did it take PPSD two weeks to admit there was a hack?

PPSD: Refused to respond.

 

 GoLocal Question: Why hasn't PPSD disclosed that this is a ransomware attack?

PPSD: Refused to respond.

 

GoLocal Question: Why are staff only being notified today (about the personal data)?

PPDS: Refused to respond.

 

GoLocal Question: Have students' families been notified?

PPSD: Forwarded a copy of the letter that was sent to an unknown number of parents (it mirrors the notice sent to teachers that GoLocal had already reported). (See letter below.)

 

GoLocal Question: Are students' health records at risk?

PPSD: Refused to respond.

 

GoLocal Question: Why haven't those who have been potentially impacted been notified of steps they should take to protect personal data? PLEASE NOTE: Superintendent Dr. Javier Montañez admitted in his communication that breached “documents could contain personal information.”

PPSD: Refused to respond.

 

GoLocal Question: Will PPSD be providing services to those impacted?

PPSD: Refused to respond.

 

GoLocal Question: Has PPSD paid a ransom?

PPSD: Refused to respond

 

PPSD spokesperson said in response to the questions, “Please note that, at this time we are still gathering more information and are conducting an analysis that will provide us greater clarity on what may have occurred, what may have been impacted, and what actions may need to be taken. This is all I have at this time."

 

PPSD letter sent on September 25, 2024:

Dear Providence Public Schools community,

We are writing to provide another update on the network issues we first experienced a few weeks ago. As previously shared, PPSD IT staff were alerted and responded to irregular activity detected on our network on Wednesday, September 11. IT staff followed security protocols and, out of an abundance of caution, quickly took steps to disable internet connectivity. The District engaged a professional third-party IT agency to provide additional support and restoration services. Additionally, the district secured a third party vendor with expertise in cyber-security and launched a forensic analysis of the network. Federal and state authorities were also informed about the suspicious activity and have extended their support throughout this process.

Through the investigation, which continues at this time, we recently obtained confirmation that unauthorized access occurred on our network. Moreover, an unverified, anonymous group has claimed that they have PPSD files. While we cannot confirm the authenticity of these files and verify their claims, there could be concerns that these alleged documents could contain personal information. Again, at this time we are still gathering more information and are conducting an analysis that will provide us greater clarity on what may have occurred, what may have been impacted, and what actions may need to be taken.

While we are continuing to work closely with our partners and law enforcement, we wanted to alert our school community as we learned about this. We will continue to work with our partners to fully understand the potential exposure and should it be needed, provide additional guidance and resources to students, families, and staff if they were impacted. The safety of our school community and the security of personal information is a top priority here at PPSD, and we will communicate any additional information on this matter as it becomes available.

We thank you for your cooperation and attention to this matter. We will continue to provide updates as we get more information.

Respectfully,

Javier Montañez, EdD

Superintendent