The West Mifflin Area School District is recalling all district-issued student computers for “urgent security updates” beginning Monday.

In a letter sent home to parents last week, officials said the school district’s technology department is working with tech vendors to resolve issues some students experienced during the first week of remote classes. The security updates are required to ensure a “safe remote learning experience,” said Steven Fort, the district’s director of technology. 

“We sincerely understand the inconvenience this may cause and look forward to helping each of you as safely and efficiently as possible,” Mr. Fort said in the letter to parents.

An explanation of the technology issues was not made clear.

A device drop-off schedule is available on the district website. The school urges everyone to bring their devices during assigned time slots for upgrades.

Since the start of the new school year, an increasing number of school websites have been hacked.

Pittsburgh Public Schools last week blocked student access to a website, SafeYouTube.net, after users in the district and elsewhere around the country found video links that had been hacked, leading to inappropriate content and sites.

Also, the Trinity Area School District in Washington County postponed live Zoom instruction after a hacker made offensive comments during Zoom class sessions. Police are investigating, and the district is “in contact with Zoom to understand how this breach could occur and what can be done to trust this platform again.”

First Published: September 14, 2020, 2:08 p.m.