Fort Smith Public School District working to resolve cyber attack disruption

The Fort Smith Public School District has not fully restored phone and internet systems disrupted by a cyber attack that happened on or before July 21, according to information provided late Wednesday (July 23) by the district.

“Fort Smith Public Schools is experiencing a cybersecurity incident impacting our phone and internet systems districtwide,” the district noted in a Facebook post July 21. “Currently, all communication systems, including phone and internet, are unavailable. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work through this situation.”

In a response to questions from Talk Business & Politics, Addie Reith, a district communications specialist, said the district has “engaged” a third-party firm to help with “resolution efforts.”

“We are working diligently to restore all services and do not anticipate any disruption to the start of the school year,” Reith said in the Wednesday statement. “While we are making steady progress, we do not yet have an estimated timeline for full restoration. Please be assured that we continue to follow all applicable rules and procedures as directed by the Arkansas Department of Education and have notified all required agencies.”

The district’s first day of school is set for Aug. 13.

Act 260, approved by the Arkansas General Assembly in 2021, requires school districts and other public entities to provide “an initial report of the known facts of a security incident” to the Legislative Auditor within five business days of an incident. However, the law also allowed the reporting to be kept from the public by making it exempt from the state’s Freedom of Information Act.

According to state information and as of Nov. 13, 2024, there were 132 cybersecurity incidents reported between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024. Of the 132, 47 were with school districts, the most of any public entity category. Also, of the 132, 109 were resolved and 23 remained under investigation.