Minneapolis Public Schools: Staff ‘working around the clock’ on technical difficulties, no data lost
Minneapolis Public Schools says its staff members are “working around the clock with third-party (non-MPS IT specialists) to investigate and resolve what the district is calling “technical difficulties.”
Tuesday was slotted to be parent-teacher conferences in the district, with staff getting a workday and students having the day off, but that suddenly changed Monday.
The district notified families of the closure late Monday night, saying, “Tomorrow’s parent-teacher conferences have been canceled and will be rescheduled. We are currently investigating the source of technical difficulties affecting the operability of certain computer systems.”
According to a statement from MPS, no data was lost in the incident because it had been backed up.
A district spokesperson said MPS hopes to address the source and impacts of this problem while returning to school as soon as possible, and the district has changed relevant passwords and implemented multi-factor authenticity.
RELATED: Minneapolis, St. Paul school districts plan e-learning, snow days due to winter storm
The district switched to e-learning for the remainder of the week due to the winter storm. Despite the technical issues, the district said the technology that supports e-learning is still accessible.
Read the district’s full statement on the issues below.
“Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) recently began experiencing technical difficulties affecting the operability of certain computer systems. MPS staff are working around the clock with third-party (non-MPS) IT specialists to investigate the source of this disruption, confirm its impact on our systems, and restore full functionality to everyone as soon as possible.
“The good news is that we are able to restore the impacted data from viable backups that MPS had in place prior to the event. This means that no data will be lost due to this incident. In order to further secure our systems, MPS deployed an advanced endpoint detection response tool to necessary endpoints. In layperson’s terms, think of this as a virus alert system that ensures you can continue using your MPS device safely and securely.
“We have also updated relevant passwords, implemented additional multi-factor authentication where possible and are working with a third-party specialist to monitor our network. As part of our ongoing investigation, we are assessing measures already in place to protect the integrity of our systems and will continue to work to enhance these protections.
“The confidentiality, privacy, and security of your information in our care is among our highest priorities. We remain committed to safeguarding the information in our care and will continue to take steps to ensure the security of our systems.”
Minneapolis Public Schools