Taunton Public Schools Network Outage Response
I am writing to provide all caregivers with an update on our recent network outage. First, I would like to extend my sincere appreciation for your patience and understanding during the investigation period. We worked closely with experts and law enforcement to ensure the investigation was complete and thorough. Please rest assured that the findings from the forensic investigation have already been used to strengthen our systems and safeguard against future disruptions.
What happened?
On March 11, 2025, the IT Department received notifications of network connections going down, school-by-school, for both wired and wireless. We immediately contacted our support provider to assess whether this was an issue with our internal servers. Once our IT team determined that it was not, we immediately contacted federal, state, and local authorities, and began a forensic investigation to determine what had occurred. The investigation determined that there was unauthorized access to the internal network.
Was data viewed or exfiltrated (copied or transferred to an outside third party)?
The results of the forensic investigation found that there was no evidence or indication that any data was viewed or exfiltrated (meaning that there is no evidence that any information was copied or transferred to an outside third party).
What is TPS doing to protect members of the school community (staff and families)?
Out of an abundance of caution, the district is offering 18 months of credit monitoring services to members of the Taunton Public Schools community (staff and families).
How do TPS staff and families sign up for the credit monitoring services?
The district has proactively enrolled all current families in credit monitoring services through a company called Identity IQ. This means that you do not need to take any further action for basic coverage. However, please be aware that the only information provided to this company was your name and the email address provided to the district during enrollment.
The Identity IQ activation email will come from: [email protected]
Identity IQ activation emails will begin delivery on Tuesday, May 6th.
If you have a student currently enrolled in Taunton Public Schools and have not received your Identity IQ activation email by Friday, May 9th, please call your student’s school to verify your email address starting May 12, 2025.
For more information about Identity IQ’s Secure Plus plan, please see the plan benefits document here or contact Identity IQ support directly at: 877-875-4347.
Former staff interested in Identity IQ monitoring should complete the form here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TPSIDIQStaffRequest
What is TPS doing to address data privacy and security moving forward?
Since January 2024, the District has implemented several data privacy and security measures to strengthen the overall security posture of the district. This includes the implementation of multifactor authentication (MFA), data privacy agreements for 3rd party applications, security awareness resources, and numerous updates to the district’s infrastructure.
What if I have more questions?
Should you have any further questions, please feel free to contact my office at 508-821-1201. Thank you, and I truly appreciate everyone’s patience during this situation.
Sincerely,
Superintendent
Taunton Public Schools