Latest news with #CharlestonCountySchoolDistrict
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Yahoo
‘RansomHub' behind CCSD cybersecurity incident that impacted thousands of student, staff data in July 2024
CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) – The Charleston County School District provided an update Tuesday regarding a cybersecurity incident that occurred in July 2024. The district said it conducted a 'thorough investigation' with external cybersecurity experts and found that a cybercriminal group known as RansomHub gained unauthorized access for roughly four days, July 16-19, impacting 20,653 students and staff dating back to 2005. When the incident was discovered, CCSD said it acted immediately to contain the threat, secure its network, and initiate a detailed forensic review. 'While the district does not publicly disclose specific vulnerabilities or methods used in the breach, we can confirm that the exploited vulnerability has been fully remediated, and our systems have undergone significant security upgrades to prevent future incidents,' the district said in a news release. The district said it did not pay a ransom or engage in negotiations with the cybercriminals at any point. Personal information compromised in the breach varied by individual. The district said it completed an exhaustive review to identify and notify those individuals whose information was affected. 'Notifications were recently mailed directly to impacted individuals and included specific details on the types of information involved, along with tailored guidance,' CCSD said. The district said it is offering complimentary identity protection services, including credit monitoring, identity theft recovery assistance, and a $1,000,000 insurance reimbursement policy to support those affected. District officials said individuals who were confirmed to have been impacted and received a letter are encouraged to take advantage of the protection services and to contact the dedicated call center at 1-877-522-6813 with any questions. Representatives will be available to provide assistance on that line between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. Monday through Friday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCBD News 2.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
The Charleston County School District is accepting site applications for its free summer meals programs
CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) – The Charleston County School District is accepting site applications for its free summer meals program. Last year, the district served more than 184,000 no-cost breakfast and lunch meals at 130 sites. It is part of the Seamless Summer Feeding Program, which will take place at approved sites in Charleston County from June 2 to July 25. (The program does not operate on weekends or the July 4 holiday.) Meals are prepared at one of 10 CCSD school kitchens/cafeterias, and then representatives from approved sites – which can include schools, camps, community and recreation centers, and churches – can pick up their free meals each day from one of the locations. Necessary serving and eating utensils, plates, napkins, and condiments are provided, delivery is not. Potential sites can select their nearest distribution point when filling out an online application through the school district's website. The application asks simple questions like your name, how often the proposed site has participated in the summer meals program, and general operational information. The deadline to apply is Friday, April 11. 'Charleston County School District's (CCSD) commitment to serving the children of the community extends beyond the first and last days of school on the academic calendar,' the district said. 'This commitment includes the Seamless Summer Feeding Program (SSFP), which works to fill the nutrition gap when school is out for the summer.' Any child or teen (18 and younger) is eligible to receive a free breakfast and/or lunch. There is no approval process for individual children as the site already qualifies to receive the free meals. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Charleston Co. School District launches program to combat absenteeism
CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) – The Charleston County School District announced details on Tuesday regarding a new absenteeism incentive program the district has launched. Officials in South Carolina say nearly 25% of students across the state were chronically absent during the 2022-2023 school year. Chronically absent students are half as likely to be on grade level in certain subjects compared to their peers, according to information provided by the Charleston County School District. To combat this issue, the school district has launched a pilot program called 'Be Present S.C.,' which is a 9-week program that offers incentives to keep students in the classroom. Families could receive money from the district if their child is in school daily. 'The incentive program consists of a $25 reward loaded to a debit card per week for families whose students are in school every day that week,' Superintendent Anita Huggins said Tuesday. The pilot program per-student cost is $225, which is significantly lower than the $590 per-person cost of traditional interventions. 'All participating schools (AC Corcoran, Ellington, Goodwin, Ladson, Lambs, Midland Park, Morningside, and Simmons Pinckney) reported increased perfect attendance from Week 1 to Week 2,' the school district said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Charleston County schools eliminates intercultural development director's role amid federal funding threat
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) — An executive position within the Charleston County School District was eliminated Wednesday morning amid a federal crackdown on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. The executive director of intercultural development is no longer employed by the district, officials confirmed Wednesday. An email obtained by News 2 stated that the role was eliminated to comply with President Donald Trump's recent executive orders targeting DEI initiatives, including one that threatened to withhold federal funding from public schools that failed to get rid of them. The district risked losing nearly $55 million if it did not comply, officials said. The matter was reportedly discussed in an executive session during the March 10 board meeting. The email further stated that the employee was offered the opportunity to be placed in 'any current classified or administrative CCSD job vacancy' but declined. The informational page for the associated department had also been scrubbed as of Wednesday morning but a brief description is still available. It reads: 'The Office of Intercultural Development exists to support school leaders and staff develop their cultural competency through building awareness.' The goal, according to previous reporting, was to improve equity across the district's 80 schools in hopes of bettering student outcomes. Trump wants to dismantle the Department of Education. What could that mean for South Carolina? While officials affirmed that no other positions were impacted, one community advocate argued the move sends a larger message. 'The impact now of doing it in the way that they've done, it has really set us far back because of the protections we had under the law that allow us to be who we are, who we were born as — no matter gay, straight, Black, White, Latino, Native American, Asian or Pacific Islander,' said Pastor Thomas Dixon, who was recently elected as chair of the Charleston County Democratic Party. 'We could be who we are and the law dictated that we command respect as who we are,' he continued. A district spokesperson said officials are currently examining how Trump's executive actions could impact other programs. 'The district will continue to review all practices and programs in place that could be affected by the presidential administration's orders and will take any necessary action to ensure all CCSD students receive the support and education opportunities they need.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Yahoo
CCSD leaders ask for community help in improving literacy, math, and college and career readiness
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD)– Charleston County School District is working to tackle issues like attendance, homelessness and immigration policy. Wednesday night, CCSD held a community meeting with the superintendent and school board leaders. Superintendent Anita Huggins said poverty is the number one barrier to students learning, and the district is working to improve that. She wants to close the historical achievement gap between students. 'We are working really hard to close the achievement gap. Data suggests nationally a gap exists between black and brown children and their white peers. First and foremost, we're making sure kids have access to high quality materials in the classroom, high viable curricula across the system were always making sure to progress monitor, assess students and give feedback and providing the necessary wrap around to ensure students that come to school not ready can quickly catch up,' said Anita Huggins, the CCSD superintendent. Her three goals are to improve literacy, math, and college and career readiness. She called on community leaders and pastors for their support in learning outside the classroom. 'At our church we're looking to do some literacy. We just obtained our nonprofit 501 C-3, and we're looking to partner with the school district and do some things with the Union Heights community and surrounding areas,' said Clifford H. Brown, a pastor at Unity Missionary Church in North Charleston 'The dialogue was awesome because it gives the church and the school system the opportunity to come together to see how we can help and benefit our children,' said Timothy R. Simmons, a pastor with the Oak Grove Missionary Church in North Charleston. Other issues addressed were homelessness and absences. The district said chronic absenteeism affects students learning and they need to address the barriers causing students to miss school. They are working on family outreach and support to help students attend class. School leaders also revealed 453 students in the district are currently experiencing homelessness. They say when a student has a consistent place to come home to they are more likely to be able to go to class. As for immigration policy, Superintendent Anita Huggins says students can feel safe in their schools.'We're working closely with local law enforcement and the sheriff to ensure our schools are safe places for all our children, so we want to encourage families to send their children to school where they are safe,' said Huggins. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
