Wayne-Westland Community Schools in Michigan are bouncing back from a cyberattack that knocked out internet and phone services across the district this week. The incident, detected on Tuesday, forced quick adaptations by school staff to keep operations running.
By Friday, internet connectivity had been partially restored. Interim Superintendent Jennifer Curry confirmed that student data remained secure, while forensic experts investigate the security breach.
Schools stayed open throughout the disruption, with teachers and administrators using cell phones and mobile hotspots as workarounds to maintain communication and continue classroom activities. However, some parents opted to keep children home, expressing worries about safety and communication gaps during the outage.
The district faced pushback from families who felt they weren't notified quickly enough about the situation. This cybersecurity crisis adds to existing challenges for Wayne-Westland schools, which are already managing a $17.6 million budget deficit.
District leadership has pledged to strengthen security protocols based on lessons learned from this incident. Officials aim to rebuild community trust in their emergency response capabilities while working to prevent future attacks.
The administration continues coordinating with security specialists to fully restore services and implement enhanced protective measures across the school system's technology infrastructure.