KING COUNTY, Wash. — Highline Public Schools will reopen Thursday after closing schools for three days due to a possible cyberattack.
The district said it detected the issues over the weekend and took many of its programs offline to address the issue. It did not confirm that it was a "cyberattack."
The district is now working around the clock to fix it.
"We have teams working night and day to get to a solution so we can open up schools," said Tove Tupper, HPS chief communications officer.
Tupper knows the impact the closure has had on families.
"These are not decisions that we take lightly because we know the burden.. the incredible burden this has on our families and students," she said.
Over the weekend, the district's technology team realized some of their network systems had been infiltrated by an "unauthorized actor."
Staff immediately shut down their systems to stop the spread but were left with limited or no access to certain programs they use in daily operations.
It is unclear what the potential hackers wanted, but similar hacks are increasing nationwide.
A report from the US Government Accountability Office said cyberattacks on K-12 schools have increased in recent years. According to the agency's research, loss of learning following a cyberattack can range from three days to three weeks, with full recovery taking anywhere from two to nine months. The agency said financial losses can range from the tens of thousands to around $1 million, depending on the extent of the issue.
HPS parent Tiffany Crosby says she knows the school is working hard to figure the issue out and the community appreciates it.
"I would say the Highline school district has been communicative. We, as parents, are hearing about the issue, we know what the issue is, we're getting timely notifications. That's super helpful because we all need to know what's going on," Crosby said. "I feel for those workers trying to figure this out."
The district wants to reassure the community that the incident only involved their digital network and that students will be safe when they return.