Superintendent: cyberattack closed Spring Lake Park Schools for two days; district highlights higher graduation rate

Spring Lake Park Public Schools officials told the board on April 14 that a cyberattack on district technology systems forced the district to pause in-person schooling for two days, but students were scheduled to return the following day.

In his superintendent’s report, the superintendent said outside consultants and cybersecurity experts credited the district’s technology staff for a fast recovery. "The consultants we're working with and the cyber security experts said it's rare to see schools only miss two days of school in incidents like this and they really give the large credit of that is due to the work that our tech team here on site has been doing," he said.

The superintendent also shared district academic and extracurricular highlights, including state placements in several competitions and what he described as the district’s highest four‑year graduation rate in more than 10 years. He said the five‑year graduation rate for the class of 2025 is expected to be even higher.

On district finances, he noted the legislature’s work is unsettled and warned of potential reductions to compensatory aid next year. "It's roughly a million dollars right now, I would say," he said when describing the possible reduction; staff said more details will come in future budget discussions.

Board members asked whether the state provides specific dollars for cyber prevention; the superintendent replied that districts must budget for cybersecurity locally and there are no specific state dollars for that purpose.

Provenance: Superintendent report and subsequent Q&A (superintendent remarks and cyber incident SEG 705–877; follow-up Q&A SEG 881–904).

Speakers quoted or referenced: Superintendent.