Letter from Dr. Tice regarding recent internet disruptions

Dear F-M parents, guardians and community members,

Several local school districts across Central New York, including Fayetteville-Manlius, recently experienced several significant interruptions to its internet service.

Since the start of the 2018-19 school year, the Central New York Regional Information Center (CNYRIC), which provides high-speed internet access to about 50 school districts, has experienced a number of network cyberattacks resulting in internet service outages.

Onondaga-Cortland-Madison (OCM) BOCES District Superintendent Dr. Jody Manning recently assured the affected districts that personal and confidential information related to students and staff members was not breached during the attacks, and that this sensitive information remains well-protected.

Because lengthy internet disruptions impact teaching, learning and school district operations, F-M’s instructional technology team will be installing an alternate connection so that the district is not exclusively dependent on CNYRIC’s network. We expect this safeguard to be in place within the next two months.

CNYRIC technicians are also implementing short- and long-term solutions for identifying, preventing and mitigating network risks.

We appreciate the understanding, patience and flexibility exhibited by our students and staff members during the recent outages. We apologize for any inconveniences you may have experienced.

F-M Superintendent Craig J. Tice