BUTTE — Butte School District No. 1 released a statement to parents on Tuesday, March 26 stating that an investigation into the cyberattack that occurred in November 2023 revealed some student information was compromised, including names, addresses, dates of birth, and even test scores.
"We got the phone call regarding kinda the security breach, cybersecurity breech, within the school district. I think it’s very concerning as far as the children’s information getting out there and not really having a follow-up on the specifics and the details," says Erik Jensen, the father of a fifth grader.
Jensen is one of thousands of parents who received notifications from the school district announcing the conclusion of an investigation into the cyberattack and while he is concerned, not all parents shared that sentiment.
"I think in this day and age it is just something that we are just going to have to deal with," says Mara Osborne, a mother who was picking up her child from school on March 27.
Osborne says she thinks the information that the school district says was gleaned from documents related to certain services and medical or health information is something that is already easy to access.
"I trust the district in doing everything that they can to prevent that and also, you know, letting us know that it was compromised and giving us that information was very appreciated," says Osborne.
In the notification, the district says they worked with industry-leading cybersecurity specialists and the information that was accessed varies by individual students.
The students affected will receive letters detailing the specifics of the information that was obtained. Parents who have more concerns about the hack can contact Superintendent Judy Jonart at jonartjm@bsd1.org.
