From Locked Out to Logged In: Rebuilding Trust Through Data Security

Located just northeast of Charlotte, North Carolina, the Rowan-Salisbury School System (RSS) is a rural district serving more than 18,000 students and nearly 3,000 staff members.

As the only renewal district in the state, RSS operates with the flexibility to explore creative approaches to the student experience. At the core of that mission is Greg Keys, Coordinator of Instructional Technology, and his team, who are modernizing the district's digital infrastructure and rebuilding trust in its data systems.

Just three weeks into the job, RSS was hit by a cyber incident that locked down critical district services. “They locked down everything Windows-related,” Keys recalled. “We lost a lot of data, scripts, and automations.”

The breach revealed deep cracks in the district’s technology foundation. At the time, RSS relied on a different vendor for single sign-on and rostering—one that offered little support in the aftermath of the attack. “They just sort of shrugged at us and said, ‘Sorry,’” Keys said. What followed was a period of disruption and frustration as teams struggled to restore access, rebuild accounts, and regain control of data sharing.

The experience underscored how vulnerable the district had become. Manual account management consumed valuable time, data lived in disconnected systems, and there was little visibility into which information was being shared and with whom. The technology team knew they needed a platform that could bring structure, transparency, and safety back to their digital environment.

Following recommendations from neighboring districts, RSS turned to ClassLink in early 2022 to rebuild its foundation for access and data management. Implementation began with Roster Server, which automated rostering and simplified account provisioning, replacing hours of manual work with a centralized, secure process. 

Security quickly became the cornerstone of that partnership. When DataGuard was introduced, RSS adopted it immediately. “DataGuard lets me tweak the data I’m sending and gives me full control over what leaves our system.”  Keys explained.

Now, RSS is piloting OneData, a tool designed to bring together all of the district’s information, attendance, assessments, graduation rates, and more, into one central location. Keys envisions it as the next step in transforming how the district collects and uses data. “There’s so much data everywhere,” he said. “Right now, we’re keeping everything in Google Drive, but the bigger the scope, the more it becomes a rabbit hole. OneData will streamline that.”

For Keys, the goal is not just saving time, but reallocating it. “Instead of spending hours organizing spreadsheets, we’ll spend time understanding what the data is telling us,” he said. With DataGuard, the district will finally be able to analyze information holistically, make faster decisions, and tell a clearer story about its impact.