SURPRISE, Ariz. — Most schools across Arizona are already back in class virtually. But some schools have experienced issues with online learning.
Legacy Traditional Schools said that one student hacked into a virtual classroom using a fake email address and shared an “inappropriate video” with the students before the teacher intervened.
Legacy Traditional Schools spokesperson Matthew Benson released this statement on the incident:
We regret that one of our students used a fake email address Wednesday to gain entry to a virtual classroom, where the student momentarily shared an inappropriate video before the teacher intervened. Legacy Traditional Schools takes this situation seriously, and we have reinforced that students who fall short of our expectations for mature, respectful behavior will face disciplinary consequences. Our live, online teaching sessions resumed Thursday with enhanced cybersecurity measures in place.
Computer experts like Ken Colburn, who founded Data Doctors Computer Services, expect to see more hacking attempts as more schools switch to online learning.
“For the most part you can kind of expect to see more stories like this,” Colburn said. “Primarily because we are putting people who are not really tech-savvy in charge of technical processes.”
Colburn said that teachers and administrators of schools will be challenged this year with having to become fluent in skills that may seem foreign to them.
“If they are going to put technology as the way to interact with the students, they have to teach the teachers how to properly manage it,” Colburn warned.
While Legacy Traditional School wouldn’t go into detail on what measures where implemented, they seemed confident that they are better able to prevent incidents like the one that happened Wednesday.
“The best thing that any teacher can do is make sure they have total control over who joins,” Colburn said.
Having a so-called waiting room didn’t stop the student from hacking the Surprise campus, but Colburn said that in most situations when a teacher must approve who gets into the classroom, it makes it much harder for hacking to occur. It’s equally important for parents to make sure their children do not share the classroom invite link with anybody.