Cyber Incident Update November 28, 2022

Posted On Monday November 28, 2022

Dear Parent/Guardian, 

As a follow-up to our update on November 27, 2022, we continue to work with external consultants to help determine the scope and extent of the cyber incident that has impacted the Durham District School Board (DDSB) network. We ask for your patience as this investigation is complex and will take time to complete. We are committed to sharing more information on this topic, including if there are any privacy impacts.

In the meantime, our IT Services team continues to prioritize restoring critical systems to support school and business operations. This work has been ongoing since Saturday and will continue until we are able to restore all services. 

New Updates as of November 28, 2022

  • DDSB@Home will not be open on Tuesday. Unfortunately, much like when a snow day can impact in-person schools, this cyber incident is impacting DDSB@Home. We continue to explore ways to try and address this challenge.
  • The previously scheduled literacy test (OSSLT) will not be taking place this week.  
  • We are working to ensure payroll is not interrupted for staff.

We have created a public Frequently Asked Questions document that will be updated regularly and will be providing further updates if there is new information to share about the incident or how we are restoring full school operations. 

There have been some questions about student safety protocols. We have asked all parents/guardians to send in a hard copy of emergency contact information with their child. While schools are not able to receive calls, they are able to make calls and regular protocols are in place at schools for calling those parents and/or emergency services. The one student safety protocol not in place at this time is the safe arrival program. Attendance will continue to be manually taken and parents/guardians will not be notified should their child be absent. We recognize that this may have an impact on families’ morning routines and that in some cases parents may wish to alter their drop-off practices.

We recognize and understand how disruptive this cyber incident has been to our staff, families and community members. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to restore systems and support the over 75,000 students and approximately 14,000 staff across the DDSB. We will continue to share updates on our website and social media as more information becomes available.

Sincerely, 

Norah Marsh
Director of Education

Jim Markovski
Associate Director, Equitable Education

David Wright
Associate Director, Corporate Services

The Durham District School Board is committed to providing accessible information and communications. If you require an alternative format, please contact the Digital Accessibility Coordinator by email at communications.department@ddsb.ca.