Springfield schools, Everett City Hall remain closed due to separate cybersecurity incidents

Springfield Public Schools will remain closed through the end of the week as a cybersecurity incident continues to impact access to student medical records, officials announced. Across the state, Everett City Hall remains closed through Thursday following a separate cybersecurity incident. 

Springfield students will return to school on Monday, Sept. 14 as the district continues to address the Level 4 severe incident, according to a social media post.

Springfield Public Schools, the second-largest district in the commonwealth, shut down after an outside group gained access to the district’s network and blocked the district from certain online programs, according to an online statement. The response includes federal, state and local law enforcement.

Notably, the district can’t access “vital” medical information for students, stripping nurses of medication, address, and allergy information, according to the statement. 

“We’re erring on the side of caution to make sure our students, teachers, staff, and family members are safe and sound,” Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno said during a press conference Tuesday. “We will get through this.”

According to a statement posted online, the school district first noticed “intermittent disruptions” on Sept. 2, and those disruptions elevated to “malicious cyber traffic” on Saturday evening.

Sarno said the district has made “some progress”, but he noted it is an ongoing investigation. Officials warned students and staff to stay off Springfield Public School systems.

When students return to school, officials also said they will return to pen and paper lessons, if needed.

“We have highly skilled teachers and educators,” Springfield schools Superintendent Sonia Dinnall said at the conference. “Instruction does not rest solely in technology.”

The Springfield School Committee is holding an emergency special meeting Wednesday evening to discuss the “deployment of security devices and strategies,” according to a social media post.

The school district’s FAQ post will be updated in the coming days, according to an online announcement.

Meanwhile, in Everett, a separate cybersecurity incident affected the city’s internal network and technology systems. The incident, which occurred Sunday, shut down city hall through Thursday, according to a news release.

The city’s police, fire, public works, public schools, and public libraries will continue to operate as normal. However, basic municipal services, such as housing assistance, treasury, parking, and city clerk will operate out of Connolly Center at 90 Chelsea St. from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“Our IT professionals and investigators are working around the clock to restore city operations as quickly and safely as possible,” Mayor Robert J. Van Campen said in the release. “In the meantime it is crucial that we mitigate disruptions wherever we can.”