The second-largest district in the US faces significant infrastructure disruptions but continues with regular classes

On 6 September 2022, Los Angeles Unified, the second-largest school district in the United States, confirmed a cyber-attack that took place over the Labor Day weekend. The district, serving over 600,000 students, reported a “significant disruption to our system’s infrastructure,” but reassured the public that classes would proceed as scheduled.

Despite the attack, which compromised access to systems like email, computer networks, and applications, officials indicated that essential services such as transportation and food would not face major disruptions. Business operations might experience delays or modifications, but teaching was expected to continue without interruption.

In response to the cyber-attack, the district implemented a “response protocol” in collaboration with law enforcement agencies to contain the incident, which was believed to be criminal in nature. While the full scope of the attack was still under assessment, the focus remained on minimizing disruptions to students and staff.