Dear Scotia-Glenville Staff and Families,

We are writing to inform you of a cybersecurity incident that may have impacted data within the PowerSchool student information system.

PowerSchool recently notified our district that some of their client data, including ours, may have been accessed by an unauthorized party.

What Happened:

• PowerSchool discovered this incident on December 28, 2024, and immediately took steps to secure their systems.
• PowerSchool has stated the incident occurred due to a compromised account at the PowerSchool corporate level, rendering unauthorized access undetectable.
• They are working with cybersecurity experts to investigate the situation.
• Scotia-Glenville CSD was recently informed by PowerSchool that our data may have been involved. PowerSchool’s initial communication to Scotia-Glenville CSD indicated our data may not have been compromised, however, upon further investigation discovered we were impacted by this breach.
• This impact is not limited to Scotia-Glenville CSD. Numerous school districts worldwide using PowerSchool have been impacted by this breach.
  

What Data May Have Been Accessed:

• The information accessed may include limited data such as names, addresses, and phone numbers for students and staff.
• Importantly, Scotia-Glenville CSD does not store sensitive information like Social Security numbers or financial data within the PowerSchool system.

PowerSchool’s Response:

• • PowerSchool has taken steps to address this situation, including working with law enforcement and cybersecurity experts.
  • They have provided assurances the data has been deleted by the unauthorized party and are actively monitoring the situation.
  • PowerSchool is committed ta providing support to impacted individuals, including credit monitoring and identity protection services for adults and students.

Next Steps:
PowerSchool has stated that the incident is contained, and they have no evidence of malware or continued unauthorized activity in the PowerSchool environment. They are not experiencing, nor expect to experience, any operational disruption and they continue to provide services as normal to school districts.

PowerSchool has stated, “While we are unaware of and do not expect any actual or attempted misuse of personal information or any financial harm to impacted individuals as a result of this incident, PowerSchool will be providing credit monitoring to affected adults and identity protection services to affected minors in accordance with regulatory and contractual obligations.”

Scotia-Glenville CSD is also still learning about this incident in real time as PowerSchool continues to work with us and the numerous other school districts impacted. We anticipate PowerSchool will be providing us with resources and additional information and we will share all relevant information as it becomes available to us. While PowerSchool is responsible for this incident and its impact, we understand this news is concerning and Scotia-Glenville CSD is committed to protecting our student, staff and family data. We will provide updates and information as it becomes available.

We will continue to work closely with PowerSchool and monitor this situation diligently. 

Sincerely,
Susan M. Swartz Superintendent
Megan M. Johnson Director of Technology