On Monday night, the Wichita School Board approved an expense of up to $2 million to update the district's cyber security. Representatives from USD 259 say steps are being taken to keep its computer network safe after an attempted hack of the district-wide system last year.
In light of the threat to the district’s network last October, board members say every effort needs to be made to prevent and minimize potential impact, should another incident occur. The attempted hack had a limited effect and did not involve student records. For a few days following the breach, several programs were intentionally disabled for security purposes, including portals where students and parents could access grades and class information.
“This is just what we have to do to be proactive to make sure this doesn’t happen again," says USD 259 spokeswoman Susan Arensman. "Businesses do this all the time to make sure their systems are safe, so this is what we’re doing as well.”
Arensman says the expenditure is part of the estimated $15-30 million in cost increases the district is facing. Part of the expense will be out of this year’s budget, while the rest will be out of next year’s.
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