Incident FAQs

On September 7, Highline identified evidence of unauthorized activity on its network. In response, a third-party cybersecurity forensic specialist was engaged, and an investigation was launched, which confirmed that the unauthorized activity was a form of ransomware.   

We notified the FBI of this activity, and we are working to support their investigation. Due to the nature of the investigation, we cannot comment on any potential law enforcement investigation at this time.   

This incident involved our digital network, and not the physical safety of our students or facilities. Student safety measures remain in place. 

This incident involved our digital network, and not the physical safety of our facilities. Student safety measures remain in place.

We are working to rebuild our network systems. Beginning the week of October 14, technology services staff will prompt all staff and students to update their network passwords. Additionally, we will re-image all district-provided Windows devices. We expect to restore access to several of our network tools during the week of October 14. We are prioritizing access to tools that are authenticated through ClassLink. 

This investigation is ongoing, and we cannot comment further.

We detected the activity on September 7 and our investigation is ongoing.

Yes, we can confirm this was a ransomware event. We are working with the FBI as part of the ongoing investigation. 

Highline’s investigation into this incident is ongoing. Part of the investigation involves determining the scope of data, if any, potentially involved. 

We are preemptively providing all Highline employees with free credit monitoring for one year. We have chosen to provide staff with this service as a precaution and accommodation. To request a complimentary 12-month credit and identity monitoring, please contact benefits@highlineschools.org, 206-631-3008 or visit the Human Resources Department at CAB-N. If emailing, please include credit monitoring in the subject line and include your employee ID and personal email address.   

If this investigation determines that personal data was exposed because of this incident, we will notify individuals in writing, following applicable law. 

We are preemptively providing all Highline employees with free credit monitoring for one year. We have chosen to provide staff with this service as a precaution and accommodation. To request a complimentary 12-month credit and identity monitoring, please contact benefits@highlineschools.org, 206-631-3008 or visit the Human Resources Department at CAB-N. If emailing, please include credit monitoring in the subject line and include your employee ID and personal email address. 

To protect the integrity of our environment, we do not disclose the security measures protecting our network.  

We are actively working to restore and secure our network systems. Starting the week of October 14, all district-provided Windows devices will be re-imaged, and staff and students will be prompted by technology services staff to update their passwords. We are prioritizing security throughout this process and will gradually restore access to tools that are authenticated through ClassLink, including Canvas and Google Drive. 

Starting the week of October 14, we expect to restore access to some tools and services . Additional information on timelines for schools and departments will be provided the week of October 7. 

Once devices are re-imaged and passwords are re-set, we will also have access to several of our network tools and the internet. We are prioritizing access to tools that are authenticated through ClassLink. The tools that will be available starting the week of October 14 include: 

• Canvas  
• Department of Health 
• Employee Online 
• Google Drive and Classroom (Students & Staff) 
• Go Guardian 
• Frontline  
• Health Office Anywhere 
• IEPOnline 
• IncidentIQ 
• I-Ready 
• Microsoft SDS 
• PeachJar 
• ReadyOp 
• Synergy 

As we work to rebuild our network systems and come back online, there are two important steps that need to happen first.  Technology staff will prompt all staff and students to update their network passwords beginning the week of October 14. We will also re-image all district-provided Windows devices. A team of technicians will visit school sites to collect devices, reimage and re-distribute devices. This process will begin the week of October 14. More details on school and department timelines will be shared the week of October 7. 

Starting the week of October 14, all staff and students will be prompted to update their passwords by technology staff. Information on timelines for schools and departments will be provided the week of October 7.   

Passwords must be at least 12 characters long, including an uppercase letter, lowercase letter, number, and special character. Avoid using personal details or passwords from other accounts.  

Considerations for strong passwords also include:  

• Avoid using personal details like your children’s names or birthdays.  
• Avoid using a password you use with other accounts. 
• Consider using a passphrase, which is a series of two or three random words that are not related. This makes a memorable and more secure password. Example: P0pc0rn F!ow3r Such  
• Don't use common words like "Highline" or "password." 

Technicians will visit each school and department site starting the week of October 14 to collect, re-image, and return all district-provided Windows devices. More detailed timelines for each site will be shared the week of October 7. 

Starting the week of October 14, you will have access to tools authenticated through ClassLink, including: 

• Canvas 
• Department of Health 
• Employee Online 
• Google Drive and Classroom 
• Go Guardian 
• Frontline 
• Health Office Anywhere 
• IEPOnline 
• IncidentIQ 
• I-Ready 
• Microsoft SDS 
• PeachJar 
• ReadyOp 
• Synergy 

Additional information on timelines for schools and departments will be provided the week of October 7. 

Parents and students who have already activated their ParentVUE accounts can still access ParentVUE and StudentVUE, and we encourage parents to log in to ensure their information is up to date. However, if a parent’s or student's account has not been activated, they will need to wait until the system is fully restored to receive an activation code.  

Parents and secondary students can still access ParentSquare and StudentSquare. If parents and students have not activated their account, we encourage them to download the mobile app and subscribe to text message notifications in their account settings.  

This incident involved our digital network, and not the physical safety of our facilities. Student safety measures remain in place.

Yes, we are contacting parents daily if a student is absent from school. 

Internet access in our schools will not be available when we return to school. Students and staff are not able to use their district-provided desktops, laptops and Chromebooks until further notice. Because of this, some of our routines may be delayed. For example, parents will still be contacted if their student is absent from school, but the notification will be delayed. Transportation may take longer as we will use paper copies of routes to pick up and drop off students.  

Students should not use their district-issued Chromebooks or laptops until further notice. Starting the week of October 14, technology staff will prompt students to update their passwords as part of the work to rebuild our network systems and come back online. 

Once passwords are updated, students will regain access to their devices. 

All passwords should be at least 12 characters in length and must contain at least one uppercase, lowercase, special case and number character. Passwords cannot contain up to three consecutive letters of your name or username. Considerations for strong passwords also include:  

• Avoid using personal details like your children’s names or birthdays.  
• Avoid using a password you use with other accounts. 
• Consider using a passphrase, which is a series of two or three random words that are not related. This makes a memorable and more secure password. Example: P0pc0rn F!ow3r Such  
• Don't use common words like "Highline" or "password." 

The YMCA, City of Burien, City of SeaTac and Right to Schools are operating for before and after school care. The YMCA operates at Des Moines, Hazel Valley, Midway and North Hill elementary schools. The City of Burien operates at Cedarhurst Elementary School. The City of SeaTac operates at Bow Lake. Right at Schools operations at Gregory Heights, Marvista, Mount View and Shorewood elementary schools.  

Once all other intake information is complete and submitted in FinalForms by a parent/guardian, then students may contact their school athletics coordinator to complete the final student forms by paper:

1. Acknowledgment of risk  
2. Athletic code of conduct  
3. Student extracurricular contract  
4. Cardiac arrest awareness sheet  
5. Concussion information sheet

At this time Connection Center meetings scheduled virtually will be over the phone.

All transfer requests are on hold until further notice. 

Since the iPad is the student's only mode of communication, they can use these devices. Staff are required to report any activity that is out of the ordinary to the Digital Transformation Department immediately. 

To prepare for the re-opening, certificated staff have the option to work for two hours on an extra service contract on Wednesday, September 11 to plan for revised instruction. Please communicate with your supervisor if you plan to work. These hours are optional. 

School leaders should track the hours teachers work on September 11. Please have teachers sign in and out on a paper in the office and retain the information until it is collected by central office staff who will process it.  

This is a max of 2 hours and only for Wednesday.  If teachers came in on Monday or Tuesday that was their choice.  Hours cannot be subbed out for another day. 

PCT time on Friday will be dedicated to planning.

Schools will use paper sign-in sheets for visitors to check in and out. Please ensure the following information is tracked: visitor’s name, date, reason for visit (e.g., substitute, parent), and time in/out. Central office will follow the same process at the front desk. School leaders should use their discretion when determining whether they can accommodate visitors or volunteers during this time. 

As with every school year, we anticipate making staffing adjustments. However, unlike previous years, adjustments will not be based on the 4-day count and will occur later. The mitigation timeline will also be delayed. We will make decisions regarding staffing after we have moved past this acute time period. Please note that attendance still needs to be taken on day 4, as current enrollment numbers are higher than projected. 

All schools will receive attendance paper lists that they can use to take attendance. Any new students (to school or class) will have to be hand entered on the paper list. These lists will be collected, and data entered into Synergy separately.    

We ask elementary schools to take attendance in the morning, per usual. Secondary schools should take attendance in first and second period.  Programs with morning and afternoon sessions should take attendance at the start of both sessions. 

Student schedule changes be submitted to the IMS by fax at 206-631-7643 or dropped off to Room 7 at Woodside.  

Printed class or attendance lists will include primary contact information. Principals and assistant principals can also access emergency contact details through the Synergy AdminVUE app on their district-provided cell phones. To ensure staff contact information is up-to-date, place a clipboard or folder in the office for staff to update their details. Once systems are restored, remind staff to update their information in Employee Online. 

Staff in the Student Learning Division are delivering printed curriculum for targeted subject areas to each school on Wednesday, September 11 for teachers to use. Principals have access guidance provided on September 10 and are expected to share school-specific guidance to staff.  

The bell and intercom systems are now working. Our phone system is working so long as phones are not unplugged. Please do not unplug phones. 

Schools are receiving a paper packet to support short-term suspensions. This packet includes the following:

• Short-term suspension notice template
• Short-term suspension appeal and review information (English and Spanish)
• Additional information for students with IEP/504 plans (English and Spanish)
• Language assistance attachments

These are the things that should be attached when sending notification to a parent/family about a short-term suspension. We are working to get a short-term suspension notice template in Spanish. We are also working to get schools packets for long-term suspension and expulsion.

If it is a leave replacement situation, no. If it is a short (1-3 day) absence for which the sub was prearranged, yes. 

If yes, the teacher will need to inform the sub office who was prearranged to cover the position.

Substitute information will be communicated with OMs by phone. Substitute information will be delivered to sites. Copies can be made and distributed to teachers. 
 

The Friday, September 20 CPR class is canceled and will be rescheduled for another day and time.

With limited access to systems, making future travel plans will be extremely challenging. We encourage waiting until system access is restored before making further travel plans.

If you already have a fully approved travel purchase order and simply need access to a travel P-Card, email Purchasing (tracey.david@highlineschools.org) for next steps.

If the travel is imminent and essential, a Cabinet member must first review the travel and email Purchasing for special assistance (tracey.david@highlineschools.org). Once reviewed and forwarded by a Cabinet member, Purchasing will guide the travel organizer through necessary steps and documentation for the travel to be approved.

Please note: For all travel costs, travelers must pay up front using a personal credit card (including hotel, rentals, meals, etc.) and seek reimbursement after systems have been fully restored. Please expect a long delay in reimbursements. 

Due to the network outage, we do not have the ability to centrally control heat at most of our school sites. However, we can manually control heat at each site. Heat is currently functioning and if staff have a specific question or concern, they can contact the Facilities Department who will send a staff member out to the school to review.

Office staff, such as office managers and bookkeepers, may use district-issued cell phones provided to school administrators for essential work-related tasks. These tasks include:

• Online P-card purchases (Note: Purchases requiring a PO must be approved by Tracey David before work begins. Items charged to the district budget also require budget authority approval via email before purchase. If unsure, seek clarification before using the Pcard.)
• Critical calendaring or emails
• Family messages
• Reviewing and distributing the weekly leadership brief to staff

Please coordinate use of the device strategically, as administrators also need it for their ongoing work.

Starting October 14, all staff and students will be required to reset their network passwords as part of our security restoration process. Technology staff will prompt this password reset. Additional information on timelines for schools and departments will be provided the week of October 7. 

Beginning the week of October 14, technology staff will prompt staff and students to update your network password. All passwords should be at least 12 characters in length and must contain at least one uppercase, lowercase, special case and number character. Passwords cannot contain up to three consecutive letters of your name or username. Considerations for strong passwords also include:  

• Avoid using personal details like your children’s names or birthdays.  
• Avoid using a password you use with other accounts. 
• Consider using a passphrase, which is a series of two or three random words that are not related. This makes a memorable and more secure password. Example: P0pc0rn F!ow3r Such  
• Don't use common words like "Highline" or "password." 

Staff must keep their district-issued devices on campus, plugged in, and turned on.  

Starting the week of October 14, a team of technicians will begin re-imaging all Windows devices. After re-imaging and password updates, staff will be able to use their devices again. Chromebooks and Apple devices will not need to be re-imaged, but passwords must still be updated. 

Frontline Professional Growth is still not accessible at this time. However, beginning the week of October 14, as systems come back online, we expect access to Frontline to be restored soon after. In the meantime, staff who know the title and number of clock hours for completed courses may continue to self-report these hours to OSPI. 

Prometheans will be available for teachers and school staff to use. Only tools that don’t require a network connection will be accessible.  

Unless you have been given instructions to access specific tools, you do not have access. This includes ClassLink, Google, IEP Online and Synergy.   

At this time, Google Voice accounts should not be used. 

Yes, ParentVUE is still accessible to parents who have activated their account. StudentVUE is also accessible if students have activated their account. 

Students should not use their district-issued Chromebooks or laptops until further notice. Starting the week of October 14, technology staff will prompt students to update their passwords as part of the work to rebuild our network systems and come back online. 

Once passwords are updated, students will regain access to their devices. 

All passwords should be at least 12 characters in length and must contain at least one uppercase, lowercase, special case and number character. Passwords cannot contain up to three consecutive letters of your name or username. Considerations for strong passwords also include:  

• Avoid using personal details like your children’s names or birthdays.  
• Avoid using a password you use with other accounts. 
• Consider using a passphrase, which is a series of two or three random words that are not related. This makes a memorable and more secure password. Example: P0pc0rn F!ow3r Such  
• Don't use common words like "Highline" or "password." 

As part of the ongoing network restoration, all staff are asked to stop using their district-issued computers and laptops until they have been re-imaged and passwords have been reset, starting in mid-October. 

Currently, Office 365 (including email), the district website and ParentSquare are operational. If you have a district-provided cell phone, you may continue using it to access email. Principals and assistant principals can access AdminVUE on their district-provided cell phones. Additional tools, such as ClassLink, Google Drive, and other services, will become available starting the week of October 14. Additional information on timelines for schools and departments will be provided the week of October 7.  

We recognize staff cannot currently access the trainings. Staff will be given the opportunity to complete the trainings once they are accessible.

Since the iPad is the student's only mode of communication, they can use these devices. Staff are required to report any activity that is out of the ordinary to the Digital Transformation Department immediately. 

We do not expect or encourage staff to use their personal devices to conduct work, including laptops and mobile devices. However, while work devices are not accessible, we recognize some staff will choose to use their personal devices to access email and conduct work. For this reason, we are sharing the following information.

Highline is not responsible for any damage to personal devices or repairs needed on personal devices. Highline will not provide technology support for personal devices. Highline will not pay for or reimburse for data usage or cost associated with personal devices.

Yes, staff members can access ParentSquare using their Highline Microsoft credentials. While staff may not use district-issued devices to access ParentSquare, they may use a personal device if they choose, although this is not required. If you need help sending a message to families, please contact your school office staff first. If the office staff does not have access, let the Communications Office know, and they can send the message for you. You can share your message details via email at comm.office@highlineschools.org, through a Communications Request, or by phone at 206-631-3002for urgent messaging. 

Yes, payroll is expected to be processed on time, and employees should receive their paycheck on Monday, September 30.  

We are working on identifying a plan for employees to access their paystubs. We will update this FAQ once we have finalized the plan. Please check back for more details. 

Overtime submitted via extra service form or overtime form will be processed in September if it was received by Payroll before the cutoff date. 

Any overtime submitted through Timecard Online will not be processed on the September paycheck, but will be paid once employees regain access to Timecard Online.

There is no access to Timecard Online and timecards will not be approved this month. Any leaves typically reported via Timecard Online will not be included in this paycheck.

Once employees regain access to Timecard Online, we will ask timekeepers and/or employees to enter leaves (vacation, sick time and personal days) for the missed pay periods. Payroll will retroactively adjust leave balances at that time.

Yes, if an extra service form was received by Payroll before September 10th, you will receive payment in the September paycheck.

Please remember that leaves, vacation cashout, and anything normally reported via Timecard Online will not be included on this paycheck. Leave balances may not calculate correctly for September. For Human Resources related questions, please contact the Human Resources department. For Payroll related questions, please contact the Payroll department.

You will receive your paycheck as you normally would. 

Teamsters 1: Yes, your salary increase will be included in the September paycheck.

Teamsters 2: No, the CBA has not been ratified, so increases will not be included in the September paycheck. You will receive the pay increase retroactively once the CBA has been ratified and the School Board has approved the contract.

Teamsters 3: No, the final salary schedule for Teamsters 3 was approved by the School Board at the September 4th meeting. Increases were not entered into the system prior to the outage, so you will receive increases retroactively once they are entered into the system. 

HEA: Yes, salary increases will be included in the September paycheck. The CBA and final salary schedule were approved at the July Board meeting. 

Prof Tech: No, salary schedules for Prof Tech positions have not been presented to the Board for approval.

No, the vacation overage cashout will not appear on the September paycheck. It will be included on an upcoming paycheck. 

Send to Payroll.

 Include LOC and Object code, leave out the other budget information, it will be filled in.

One must have worked onsite to receive compensation. This is because preparation is a professional responsibility. The compensation is for the inconvenience of reporting onsite in order to be prepared.

Yes, you can use your P-card for purchases.

At this time, you cannot code your purchases in Works. Please keep a log of all purchases and the correct budget to code in Works once systems are restored. We will not sweep purchases until we can code to the correct budget in Works.

Not at this time.

If you have the needed information, yes.

People scheduled for September 11 NEO will be rescheduled to September 18. Their start dates will be adjusted and vary depending upon the situation. People who were interviewed and/or recommended but not yet hired will be on pause until we get access to system. Hiring managers may call candidate to notify them of delay.

If the candidates are already in our sub pool, call x3060 to arrange for them to fill. We will right it when up and running. If not already in sub pool, we cannot move forward.

Buildings may not tell applicants to come in and work unless HR has directed the principal to call and give that instruction.

If possible, please hold on creating a new contract or service until systems are restored. For urgent contracts, please use a paper contract and route for signatures. All documents used to create a purchase order must be included in the routing. This includes the Contract Approval Form, Certificate of Insurance (when needed), and the Contract. Please deliver the completed packet to Tracey David for review.

If possible, please hold on creating new purchase orders. If urgent, please contact Tracey David for guidance. 

We have methods to make payments to outside vendors. Contact Tracey David in Accounts Payable for guidance. 

Field trip requests may resume on October 1 for school day trips. Schools were sent updated FT packets on 9/23 with instructions. Please note: Trips that require Safety & Security approval require an in person appt with Lorrie Good for review/approval.

Sack lunch requests must be submitted to Gloria Gonzalez in person.

Completed packets will need to be submitted in person to Jeni White or Marta Hood. A two-week notice in advance is required. Please contact them to coordinate.

The overnight and non-school day field trip process is still pending. 

Transportation requests will need to be emailed or hand delivered to the transportation team until e-Trips is back up. Please note that transportation may limit the number of trips allowed per day. More information to come.

All schools reopened on Thursday, September 12 for grades K-12. Preschool students began school on Monday, September 16. 

Our 2024-25 school calendar has eight emergency make-up days. We will make up this week’s school closures on May 27, June 20 and June 23. The last day of school is now June 23.  That date may change in the future if we have additional missed days of school.

Athletics resumed on September 12. School clubs and activities will resume on a case-by-case basis, determined by school leaders. 

Field trips are paused for the remainder of the month, with the exception of Maritime High School's SMA courses and Waskowitz's 9th Grade Link Crew and Leadership Training Weekend. 

School day field trips may resume in October.