BURIEN, Wash. — Highline Public Schools said all schools will be closed two straight days after officials found unauthorized activity on its technology systems.
The district said in a Facebook post Sunday evening that all school activities, athletics and meetings were canceled for Monday, including the vaccine clinic at the central office. On Monday, they updated families that they would also be closed on Tuesday as they investigate.
District officials said they have taken immediate action to isolate the system affected and working with state and federal partners to restore technology.
"There are a lot of systems that we rely on to be able to operate schools that we have essentially cut off access to as we investigate," said Tove Tupper, Highline Public Schools chief communications officer. "We know that our families and students depend on us, but student safety is our number one priority."
Tupper did not disclose exactly where the unauthorized activity was detected but explained that they have since taken precautionary measures.
"Transportation, we use a system to determine what busses need to go where that's an online tool, right? We need access to that tool. Attendance tracking, there's a tool that we need to be able to have access to," Tupper said. "So, it's not that those systems have been compromised at this point. It's just, we've shut off access as we do investigation.”
She said the canceling of classes across their 43 schools on Monday was a decision they don't take lightly.
"We couldn't bring students into our schools when we know that it wasn't safe to do so," Tupper said.
Right now, the families of more than 18,400 students are being notified of school being canceled tomorrow, "via robocall, text message and email," according to Tupper.
She said staff members will likely work through the night to investigate this. Right now, there is no clear reopening date.
The district-wide closures came as many kindergarteners were preparing for their first day of the school year on Monday.
"We recognize the burden this decision places on both families and staff, but student safety is our top priority, and we cannot have school without these critical systems in place," the district said in its Facebook post.
Leo Flores Rosales, an 11th grader at Raisbeck Aviation High School, said his feelings about it are mixed.
"I'm grateful that we don't have school tomorrow," Flores Rosales said. "For high schoolers, I feel like they're just all happy, you know?”
But on the other hand, he said he hopes the closure does not last too long.
"If it is worse... most of the kids don't want that, because they like going to school," Flores Rosales said.
Tupper said they have not seen any evidence to show that the personal information of staff, students, or families has been compromised.
"A lot of parents rely on their kids going to school," Flores Rosales said. "Hopefully it gets resolved because school is also important to every kid."