Cyberattacks can take entire school networks out. It’s time to pay more attention to them, experts say [Video]

A flurry of school-related emails hits parents’ inboxes most weeks — from pizza lunch flyers to school trip notifications — yet one dreaded update is becoming all too common: notice of a cyberattack. 

Students in one Ontario board returned from winter break this past Monday to classrooms with no internet and disrupted communications thanks to a cyber incident. Days later, multiple school divisions across Canada — including the country’s largest — informed families about a significant data breach connected to PowerSchool, a widely used outside provider that manages functions like students’ personal information and communication with parents.

“It’s basically a one-stop shop for anything to do with that student,” said Ron Eberts, associate superintendent of technology and information services at Red Deer Public Schools, one of the Alberta school divisions affected.

“It’s not just a Newfoundland and Labrador issue. This …