Parents press Worcester schools for a cyber-incident plan as committee refers item for report

Parents and educators at Tuesday's Worcester School Committee meeting urged the district to spell out how it would keep schools running during a cybersecurity incident and to audit its technology systems. "It is more timely than ever to consider the role that technology plays in the lives of our children," said Kate Johnson, a Worcester parent who asked the committee to support GB6-103 and to use the item as a "launching board" for districtwide technology audits.

Catherine Holmes, another parent, cited external studies and federal estimates of cyberattack impacts: "82 percent of K'12 schools experienced a cyber incident between July 2023 and December 2024," she said, citing the Center for Internet Security, and noted GAO estimates that loss-of-instruction time can range from three days to three weeks. Superintendent Allen said the district's IT staff have reached out to Springfield to offer support and that state agencies provide trainings and resources the district can use. "Our IT department did reach out" to Springfield, Allen said, adding the administration will include state resources and training options in the report the committee requested. The committee voted to refer GB6-103 to administration for a written response with follow'up details.