Possible Cyberattack Disrupts IT Network of Philadelphia's Largest Charter School Network
Mastery Charter Schools, the largest charter network in Philadelphia, experienced a significant "system disruption" on Monday, September 16, 2024, that took down phone systems and limited email access across more than 20 schools. While the network’s officials downplayed the impact, noting that classroom instruction remained largely unaffected, teachers and students reported that the outage disrupted internet-dependent lessons and digital submissions via Chromebooks. The incident comes as Mastery recently transitioned to a one-to-one technology system. Although the specific cause has not been disclosed, the network is working with experts to resolve the issue, which some suspect may be a cyberattack. Schools remain open as the investigation continues.