K-12 school districts are rapidly adopting modern technologies to improve classrooms and increase building efficiency. However, these digital upgrades are opening dangerous security backdoors. Cybercriminals are using connected building systems, such as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) units and smart security cameras, to breach school networks. This security gap threatens sensitive student data and physical school operations.
What Happened
As school infrastructure becomes more connected, schools are merging facility controls with educational networks. Keith Krueger, CEO of the Consortium for School Networking, warned in an interview with Facilities Dive that "cybersecurity is a big concern because of everything [that] runs on the network." Hackers exploit this integration. According to the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), schools must prioritize cybersecurity risk management across all leadership levels to protect their institutions.
Many districts fail to secure these entry points. A Yahoo Tech report notes that facility staff often leave default factory preset passwords unchanged on connected building devices. Once inside, attackers deploy ransomware to lock systems, steal records, or force school closures.
These vulnerabilities cause major disruptions. In June 2026, Evanston Township High School in Illinois canceled summer classes and sports camps after a ransomware attack compromised its network. In May 2026, Delano Public Schools in Minnesota shut down classrooms after hackers hijacked network printers, causing them to print hundreds of ransom messages.
The Bigger Picture
This cyber risk directly threatens physical safety. School systems use both Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT), which controls physical machinery. According to OxMaint, compromising OT can disable fire alarms, unlock school doors during a lockdown, or cause heating systems to fail in the winter.
Many school districts are unprepared. A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report revealed that 67 percent of school districts lack a documented cybersecurity plan that covers operational technology. Meanwhile, CISA tracked a 138 percent increase in ransomware attacks targeting educational institutions between 2020 and 2023. As we previously reported, rapid technology adoption in schools often outpaces the training and security frameworks needed to manage these systems.
What This Means for Families
For parents and educators, these cyber threats directly affect student safety and classroom learning. Ransomware attacks force schools to stop instruction, cancel extracurriculars, and close campuses.
A lack of coordination between school facilities and tech departments means a building upgrade can compromise safety. Parents and school boards must demand that schools treat physical and digital security as a single priority.
What You Can Do
To address these issues, parents, staff, and administrators can take several actions:
First, ask your school board if the district segments its network so a breach in the HVAC system or security cameras cannot reach student databases.
Second, ensure school facility managers immediately change factory preset passwords on all connected IoT (Internet of Things) devices.
Third, push school administrators to maintain a centralized OT asset register to track, patch, and monitor every connected building device.
Finally, encourage school leadership to include facility managers alongside IT staff in regular cybersecurity incident response drills.