The Scranton School District has notified the FBI of last week’s ransomware attack, Acting Superintendent Patrick Laffey confirmed.
Meanwhile, district technology remains off limits for employees and students. District phones, which operate through the communications platform Zoom, are also down.
Laffey said he could not answer other questions asked by WVIA, including whether any student or staff data was compromised or whether hackers are seeking a ransom.
“This is an ongoing investigation, and I'm unable to provide further comment at this time,” he said.
The FBI’s Philadelphia office is aware of the incident, but per policy, the office could not confirm or deny the existence of an investigation. Third-party forensic specialists continue to investigate the source of the incident and the impact on district systems.
Since Thursday, schools have gone back to learning in more traditional methods. Students have even looked words up in a physical dictionary instead of on their Chromebooks, said Rosemary Boland, president of the Scranton Federation of Teachers.
“They’re learning,” she said. “They’re actually more engaged… I’m happy about that.”
