No school in Rochester on Monday as district deals with potential cyberattack

There will be no school on Monday for students at the Rochester Public Schools, as district staff and teachers figure out how to operate with limited technology after a possible cyberattack last week.

It is not yet clear if Rochester school systems were compromised or if any student or staff data is at risk.

"We regret the impact that not having students report on Monday will have on our families and we also regret needing to share this information during what for many of our families is a holiday weekend and at the end of spring break," said a message from Rochester school officials. "We ask for your patience and understanding as we work to resolve this situation as quickly as possible."

Rochester school technology staff noticed something amiss in the school district's network Thursday, and shut down the network and many technology systems in an effort to stymie what they believed could be a cyberattack.

The possible attack comes after a ransomware attack hit Minneapolis schools in February and resulted in student data being posted on the dark web. Cyberattacks on schools are on the rise.

Rochester technology staff and outside investigators are still trying to figure out what happened, according to the school district.

The district announced Saturday afternoon that there will be no school Monday, because Rochester schools will be largely without internet and without many of the technologies and other systems common in today's classrooms.

Teachers and administrators will spend Monday figuring out how to deliver an internet-free education in the coming days.

Sports and extracurricular activities will stick to their regular schedules Monday. The School Aged Child Care program will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

School resumes for Rochester students on Tuesday.