Cyberattack Cancels Classes for Des Moines Public Schools

The largest public school system in Iowa is slated to resume classes on Thursday, Jan. 12, following the detection of abnormal network activity that prompted the district to pull its systems offline.

On Jan. 9, DesMoines Public Schools alerted parents classes would be canceled and that their district's Internet and network services would be unavailable following a suspected cyberattack.

DMPS announced today that classes would resume tomorrow — Thursday, Jan. 12 — now that phones are operational. For the time being, students can expect an "offline learning experience," the district added.

"The school district’s information technology staff continues to investigate the cause and extent of the cybersecurity incident that took place earlier this week, in coordination with the school district’s cyber insurance company, and are working to fully restore the district’s network when it is safe to do so," the latest update on the school cyberattack said. "This work will continue in the days ahead."