EVSC Computer Malfunction, Some Grades Gone

News Release: From: EVSC Hardware Malfunction Occurs with EVSC Computer Server The Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation experienced a hardware malfunction with its AS400 computer server during Spring Break resulting in a loss of data. During scheduled maintenance on March 27, 2008, disk errors occurred when the system was powered back up. After speaking with IBM engineers for most of the day and working around the clock to mitigate data loss, the engineers determined that due to an unfortunate and very rare combination of hardware problems and backup configuration settings, all student grade book assignment data for the current grading period is no longer in the system. Harrison, North and Bosse High Schools and Harwood Middle School - all on the six-week grading period - lost four weeks of individual assignment grades that had been posted. Four days of grades immediately prior to Spring Break were lost at all other schools, which are all on the nine-week grading period. All attendance and discipline information was recovered as well as end of grading period grades. The end of the grading period for six-week schools would have been April 10. Because of this malfunction, report cards will not be issued for these four schools. Instead, the next two weeks grades along with the next six-week grading period will go out as an eight-week report card following the end of that grading period May 27. For those students attending schools on a nine-week grading period, any available grade for the four days will be re-entered into the online system. Current grades will be entered from this point forward as assignments are turned in and graded and report cards will be issued as scheduled following the end of the grading period May 27. This malfunction also affects access to EdEase, the online information system for parents and students. At the current time it is non operational. Elementary school parents who received their logons after Jan. 23 will receive new activation codes and logons in the mail. Another area affected was the Human Resources application files. Anyone having sent in an application for a position after Jan. 23 that they would like to remain on file, will need to resubmit that application. Parent letters explaining this information were sent out Monday, March 31. The EVSC realizes that this is a serious issue and has already taken steps in process, procedure and new hardware to assure that data loss of this magnitude will not happen again. IBM engineers at the highest levels said this was a unique event that they had never encountered before. All of the information that could be retrieved has been retrieved. The EVSC vows to work diligently to restore faith in the corporations ability to keep data safe and is currently working with teachers and administrators at schools to decide methods of grading for the remaining grading period.