BY JENNIFER GUY
Acting Superintendent
Los Alamos Public Schools
I want to thank you all for a successful fall semester! The last day of the semester is Friday, December 16. It has been wonderful to spend time in schools this week and see so many students thriving. I am already looking forward to the start of 2023! Students will return to school on Wednesday, January 4, 2023. Preschool students will return on Thursday, January 5, 2023.
Dr. Delfin is currently out on leave. In his absence, I will be serving as the Acting Superintendent for Los Alamos Public Schools. Please let me know if you need anything.
One important update you need to be aware of is that on August 8, 2022, the district experienced a cyber security incident. We were first made aware of the problem when we had a difficult time restoring internet service. Fortunately, our technology team caught the problem very quickly and isolated the activity. The district has worked closely with third-party computer specialists to ensure that a thorough review of all of our systems took place. Through the investigation, we found that certain files containing information relating to individuals were downloaded. The privacy and security of our staff and students is important to us.
We are providing notice to those individuals whose information was contained in the files later this week. If you do not receive a letter, your personal information is likely not contained within the downloaded files. PowerSchool, our student information system, was not compromised and the information held in PowerSchool was not leaked. District financial systems were also not impacted.
I realize that some of you may want to verify that your information was not a part of any leak. In a separate communication next week, we will provide a telephone number you can call to verify that your information was not identified to have been involved or to ask any questions. This information will also be posted on our website next week.
We are committed to making sure you have the information that you need to help better protect your personal information. The technology department will provide a full report on cybersecurity at LAPS early next semester. In the meantime, we have verified that all of our systems are secure at this time and have taken steps to continue to improve security.
Thank you for your patience as we worked with experts to ensure we had a full understanding of the cyber incident.
I hope you and your families have a wonderful, restful winter break.