The Rainy River District School Board (RRDSB) has restored internet connectivity following a precautionary measure undertaken last week.
Internet services were brought back online for schools across the board as of Sunday, November 30, 2025, and was expected to be available for regular usage as of yesterday’s return to class.
The board disclosed on its website and social media accounts on Tuesday, November 25, 2025, that it had proactively taken some of its technology services offline as a precaution after it had detected some “unusual activity” on its systems. The board said the move was made in order to protect the systems and data therein while an investigation took place.
On its website, the RRDSB said the move was entirely precautionary and that no ransomware had been deployed against it, a tactic that has seen use against other school boards in Canada in the past few years, including following the PowerSchool cybersecurity breach that took place in December 2024. School boards including the Toronto District School Board and Peel District School Board in Ontario, as well as the Calgary Board of Education, received ransom demands in May of this year that were determined to be connected to data stolen during the PowerSchool incident, per reporting from the CBC.
Despite the takedown of internet services, the RRDSB noted that learning for students in the district continued as normal, with transportation and school services remaining unaffected by the outage. There was also no impact to in-school safety during this time.
“Student safety is our top priority. Our schools continue to follow established safety procedures and supervision plans,” the RRDSB said on its information page regarding the outage.
“We are working with internal teams and external cybersecurity experts to confirm the integrity of our systems and restore services safely. We will also determine if any personal information has been exposed.”
The RRDSB noted that the investigation is still ongoing even as internet services are restored, and that the board and its staff “remain vigilant to ensure the safety and reliability” of their systems. School staff have limited information about the cybersecurity incident, but are available for regular needs. It also urges those using its systems to watch for suspicious communications and to follow all directions from the board’s IT staff.
“We will keep you informed of any significant developments,” the board said.
“Your cooperation and commitment help us maintain a secure and stable learning environment for everyone. Thank you for your continued support and trust.”
