The Nantucket Public Schools remain closed today as the district works to recover from a ransomware attack that led to a midday closure yesterday.
In a voice message to the school community, Supt. Beth Hallett said the attack forced the schools to shut down all computers used by students and staff.
Because so many devices are networked including the student Chromebooks, the phone system, security cameras, and even photocopiers shutting down the network creates a significant disruption. Teachers and students can’t access their day-to-day work.
Yet the main reason the schools are closed is safety, said high school English teacher Page Martineau, president of the Nantucket Teachers’ Association.
“We don't have phones. We don't have cameras,” she said. “I mean, clearly it's a real inconvenience for teachers, but the safety part is the reasoning behind shutting things down.”
A Nantucket teacher says the island’s high school is likely headed for a staffing crisis this fall, as housing prices and island logistics make recruitment and retention increasingly difficult.
Some schools around the region are experiencing staff shortages due to COVID-19 and a lack of substitute teachers, but the shortage is becoming a broader problem on Nantucket, said Nantucket High School English teacher Page Martineau.