As remote learning spreads, so have cyberattacks. Are schools ready?

Students in the Newhall School District in Santa Clarita, California, were just hitting a rhythm with remote learning this fall when the district suddenly had to cancel online classes in mid-September due to a cyberattack that shut down the entire district computer network.

In a typical year, such an attack would result in teachers turning off technology and shifting lessons to the classroom, but that’s not an option with remote learning, says Superintendent Jeff Pelzel. 

“In this situation, the challenge was our kids didn’t get to interact with their teachers on a daily basis with live instruction,” he says. “And on the back end, we lost