Internet security breach delays Aurora Public Schools start by 2 hours Friday

AURORA | AURORA | Citing a districtwide internet security attack, Aurora Public Schools officials said all schools will start two hours later on Thursday and Friday as technicians work to restore phones and internet access.

“While this has been extremely frustrating for our community, these measures were necessary to protect our technology infrastructure,” APS spokesperson Corey Christiansen said in a statement. “At this time, we continue to respond to the outage and investigate the cause of the suspicious activity.”

District computer and phone network employees noticed “suspicious activity within our network early Monday morning,” and the network system was immediately shut down, Christiansen said.

“As a precaution, we worked quickly to protect our systems, and at this time, we continue to work to bring back our systems and restore our technology infrastructure,” Christiansen said.

The district uses a Voice Over Internet Phone system, officials said. Employees are able to access voice mail and other services through mobile phone apps issued to teachers and employees.

Officials said all schools will delay the start of school on Thursday and Friday by two hours. The move is made to accommodate teachers and staff requests, Christiansen said.

“AM preschool is canceled for Thursday due to the delayed start,” he said “PM preschool will be held as scheduled on Thursday. There are no preschool classes held on Fridays.”

All schools are closed Monday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, he said.

“While we are making progress in addressing the issue, additional time is needed to fully restore our internet and phone service and ensure a smooth transition back to regular operations,” he said. “We anticipate being able to restore internet and phone service by the time we return to school after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Tuesday.”

Officials said the schools remain safe for students and staff, despite the lack of phone and internet service.

The “Public address (Intercom) systems continue to remain fully operational at all schools for on-site communication,” Christiansen said. “In addition, school staff are able to receive family calls and respond to family emails.”

He said school security officers and dispatchers are inside schools as well.

“While our security camera system is not fully functional, we do have camera access for critical spots in buildings,” Christiansen said. “Emergency response systems, secure doors, staff presence, security dispatch, campus security officers and school resource officers are all critical preventative safety measures which are currently in place.”