White Center Now: The blog about White Center

FIRST REPORT, 3:33 PM: No school again Wednesday for Highline Public Schools students, as the district struggles to recover from technology trouble still described only as “unauthorized activity”:

All Schools Closed Wednesday, September 11

All schools will remain closed on Wednesday, September 11. All school activities, athletics and meetings are canceled. Central office is open. …

Our investigation into unauthorized activity on certain systems on our network is ongoing. As a precaution, we have taken certain systems offline which are important for the safe operation of our schools.

We know this is difficult for students, families, staff and our district as a whole. However, we are actively working around the clock to bring the relevant systems back online quickly and securely so that we can open schools again. We will keep you informed with updates as soon as they become available.

Student safety and well-being remains a top priority. Thank you for your continued patience and understanding.

The full announcement is here.

7:48 PM: Tonight, the district announced it expects to be able to reopen schools Thursday. Here’s the plan for that day:

Family & Staff Information for Re-opening
We have taken steps to allow us to restore certain segments of our digital network in a secure manner.

Grades K-12: All schools will be open on Thursday, September 12 for students for grades K-12.
Preschool: The first day of school for preschool students will be Monday, September 16.
No School: As shared previously, schools are closed tomorrow, Wednesday, September 11.

Athletics & Activities Information
Athletics will resume on September 12. School clubs and activities will resume on a case-by-case basis, determined by school leaders. We’re working with our before- and after-school providers—please look for communication from your provider about programming.

Internet Access
Internet access in our schools will not be available when we return to school. We are working on identifying a plan for Highline Virtual Academy and the Highline Virtual Elementary program, whose educational programming relies on virtual learning.

Questions & Answers
Schools will look different when we return. We know you may have questions. We are working on a list of frequently asked questions and answers to post on our website. We will share a link with you tomorrow.

Incident Update
The investigation is still ongoing. We want to be clear, this incident involved our digital network, and not the physical safety of our facilities. Student safety measures remain in place. We will provide updates related to the incident as they become available.

Staff Instructions for September 11 & More
To prepare for the re-opening, certificated staff have the option to work for two hours on an extra service contract on Wednesday, September 11 to plan for revised instruction. Please communicate to your supervisor if you plan to work. PCT time on Friday will be dedicated to team planning.

School and department administrators will follow up with school-specific and department-specific information, including instructional guidance, regarding the reopening. If you cannot access this information via email, call your school or department after 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday.

We are asking staff to continue not using their district-issued computer and laptop until further notice.

Thank You!
We know the school closures this week have been difficult for students, families, staff and our district as a whole. Thank you for your continued patience and understanding.

We are excited to welcome all students and staff back to school on Thursday.

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