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An incident related to a learning platform used by Austin Public Schools has led to increased monitoring of the platform.

The platform affected, Seesaw, is used by Pre K through fourth grade. According to a press release issued by the school, an inappropriate message was being shared through the “Messages” feature in Seesaw, led by an outside actor as part of a coordinated external attempt to guess user passwords associated with this group of user accounts.

Seesaw has since turned off Messages for all users while the issue was investigated and will be enabled again at a later date once necessary security precautions are taken.

Superintendent Dr. Joey Page said in the release that there doesn’t appear to be any harm caused.

“At this time, we have no evidence that any Austin Public Schools Seesaw accounts were compromised,” Page said. “Austin Public Schools staff have enhanced monitoring our Seesaw activities throughout the day on 9/15 and will continue to monitor for any inappropriate content.”

APS school officials urge people to be mindful of the following:

• If your account was compromised, your password was reset and you have already received an email notifying you of this.
• It is essential that you always use best practices to ensure your password is secure.
• Seesaw takes protecting your security and privacy seriously and there are a number of measures in place to protect the integrity of your information. You can learn more here.
• We recommend that you refresh your web browser and if using Seesaw on a mobile device, you can update your device to the latest app version (version 8.1.2, released today) and re-launch Seesaw or close and re-open the Seesaw app (Here are instructions to close iOS and Android devices).

“The safety and privacy of our teachers, students, and families is our number one priority and we are all taking this incident extremely seriously,” Page said. “If you have any questions or concerns for the Seesaw team, please reach out here.”