MONROE — With classes just getting underway, school officials are dealing with an unexpected problem — some type of network glitch or security breach that prompted Monroe’s schools to shut down devices; and technicians to begin looking for answers.
As of late Thursday, the system had still not been restored and, as a result of the issue, previously scheduled ACT testing at the school for the following school day was cancelled, with classes returning to its regular Friday schedule. ACT prep is expected to be made up either Sept. 18 or Sept. 25.
It is also unknown when services will be back online — it could come as soon as Sept. 11, or delayed further beyond that.
“The School District of Monroe is currently experiencing an interruption to our computer network due to a possible network security issue,” said an email alert from Supt. Joe Monroe that went out to parents just before 10 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 10. “As a precaution, we have taken preventative measures to protect the District’s network and technology systems while we investigate the situation.”
Officials added that: “This issue is also impacting phone service at each of our schools and District facilities. For any necessary communication with the District or your child’s school, we encourage families to utilize the ParentSquare app during this time…”
As of the newspaper’s deadline late Thursday, attempts to reach district officials for additional comment, including Supt. Joe Monroe, were unsuccessful. The district declined to provide any additional detail on the nature of the issue or any potential fix.
But students and other school sources, who declined to provide their names as they were not authorized to speak on the sensitive matter, said the high school was asked to power down and even unplug any devices that might be connected to the internet. And that includes the district’s internet-based, networked phone system, cameras and in-room TV/computer monitors.
It’s unclear whether the issue stems from a virus, hacker, or some other type of trouble within the district’s technology network.
“We understand the importance of reliable communication and will provide additional updates as we learn more and have further information to share,” said the district’s email.
It’s not the first time a local government has dealt with such an issue — in winter of 2025, Green County’s network was impacted by what was later revealed to be some sort of intrusion or hack into it — possibly by an outside actor. As a result, in early February of 2025, Green County went nearly three weeks with many programs and phone systems essentially out of service.
At around the same time, a similar issue struck computers in Iowa County government.
Though never officially confirmed, the county breach was widely thought to have been due to some type of hacking activity. Local governments are typically counseled by legal counsel to say as little as possible about such incidents, so as not draw attention to vulnerabilities or to publicize the law-breaking actions of bad actors.
— Adam Krebs and Gary Mays contributed to this story