BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Darryl L. Williams, Ed.D.  Superintendent  6901 North Charles Street  Towson, MD  21204

December 21, 2020

Ms. Cindy Sexton, President Mr. Tom DeHart, Executive Director

TABCO CASE

Dear Ms. Sexton, Mr. DeHart, and Team BCPS:

It is unprecedented that we in BCPS are dealing with two major incidents and all of us are adjusting
plans and schedules to accommodate the impact of these major crises. The cyberattack and
COVID-19 pandemic have created additional stress for all of Team BCPS and our local partners
that have supported us. Our staff members have stepped up and are still teaching, supporting
students, leading staff, and providing the necessary steps to continue the daily operations of our
schools and offices. We are not back to normal and these feelings are real and felt by many.

As you know, we are in the midst of a criminal investigation and the supports of our experts
including local and national partners have helped us to develop immediate and long-term steps.
However, our focus was to get students reconnected with staff and we did not have a lot of time to
do this. We worked as quickly as possible and just like any plan, the information and feedback we
received caused us to revise our plans. We simply could not afford to keep students away from
virtual learning with their teachers beyond the days that schools were closed.

I know that this attack has added yet another layer of frustration to your day. We are working with
local and national experts to assist us with the review, repair, and recovery phases. Since there
is no other Maryland system experiencing a pandemic and cyberattack at the same time, we are
relying on these experts to guide us through these phases, and staff are taking on longer-term
projects. The solutions are not going to happen quickly. It will take time to address each of our
systems and bring them back safely. As we have demonstrated throughout this year of challenges,
we will embrace opportunities to rethink our processes and rebuild better. We are working with
our experts and members of the Department of Informational Technology, Human Resources, and
Business Services to answer your questions about the years of lessons, specialty software
applications, payroll, and benefits. We are doing all we can during this repair-review and recovery
phase, and we are committed to working daily with you, as leaders, to understand any progress
and answer the many questions that members may have. In order to reduce the number of rumors,
I will update Team BCPS on a regular basis and to work with you to hear and address your concerns
in a timely manner. You will hear from me this week before the winter break.

As far as the device swap and reimaging concerns, the original plan was a temporary response
based on our experts, and we had to develop a process of reimaging of our HP/Windows devices.
We had a limited surplus of Window devices (Elitebooks) and during the original plan, we received
several hundred defected devices which needed repair in addition to the reimaging. As you stated,
we had to pause that plan even after Friday’s results and develop a new plan – Reimaging only. I

Raising the bar, Closing gaps, Preparing for our future

Ms. Cindy Sexton
Mr. Tom DeHart
December 21, 2020
Page 2

recognized the complications of the original and revised plans, and I saw it personally as I assisted
during the device swap on Friday afternoon/evening, December 18, 2020, at George Washington
Carver Center for Arts and Technology.

What we learned was the reimaging process is an additional step to recovery and the complete
process can take between 45 minutes and up to two hours. I asked the question why and learned
that certain software applications and the devices themselves may cause a longer time period to
reimage. Therefore, staff members created a revised plan to focus on reimaging only and a
schedule with options to wait for or drop off devices during the reimaging process. This
communication was sent late Sunday evening or early Monday morning. Staff members with
Chromebooks will continue to use them as we repair and replenish the Elitebook inventory.

As I shared with you during our phone conversation, we can meet weekly and discuss your
concerns, and I will provide regular updates with information. We will continue those daily
conversations with the union presidents and executive director and central office leaders, and
together we can provide clarity about the progress we are making. In addition, we are working
with our experts to share additional information about our progress and those key messages that
can be shared with Team BCPS. We are rebuilding our systems and have enacted our Continuity
of Operations Process Team (COOP) to work with our experts and vendors to keep us functioning
during these crises. Membership of COOP consists of staff from several offices including
technology, facilities, business support services, human resources, fiscal services,
communications/public information, and legal.

As far as the demands on and constraints of our educators and administrators, I acknowledge that
our staff is doing the very best under these circumstances. I will work with you as union leaders
and my team on the MSDE requirements including SLOs, observations, and evaluations. Since
March 13, 2020, our staff and administrators have focused on our students, which continues to
remain the priority at this time. We will work through these other topics.

During the initial response to the cyberattack, our focus has been instruction and we will continue
to make sure that students and staff are reconnected despite interruptions. It was heartening to see
the enthusiasm from staff and students when we were able to resume teaching and learning after
losing three school days. It is only because of the sheer determination of you, our educators,
administrators, and our staff that we have made this much progress so quickly. I recognize that
virtual learning feels differently now, but I know you and staff are as committed as I am moving
forward each day and figuring this out together. I know that our school community is depending
on us and coming to us with questions. We do not yet have all the answers, but we will get there
together.

I am committed to address these communication concerns with your assistance and together we
can eliminate these rumors and address the variance from area to area or school to school. I am
always available to our union presidents and executive director at any time; hence why I called
you, Cindy and Tom, personally on Sunday afternoon once I received your letter. I want us to

Raising the bar, Closing gaps, Preparing for our future

Ms. Cindy Sexton
Mr. Tom DeHart
December 21, 2020
Page 3

work collaboratively with all the bargaining units and to live up to the name of “Team BCPS.”
Our educators and administrators have helped us to work through these major crises that we are
experiencing and are responding to students, staff, and families. I thank you and Team BCPS for
that and recognize that these crises have taken a toll on you – on all of us. You need this break to
rest and rejuvenate for the months to come. We will get through this and work on ways to
strengthen our partnership and communication.

Again, thank you for speaking with me on Sunday afternoon and I look forward to our discussions
this week and the days to come.

Sincerely,

Darryl L. Williams, Ed.D.

Superintendent

VIA E-MAIL

Raising the bar, Closing gaps, Preparing for our future