IMPORTANT PUBLIC NOTICE
PowerSchool Cybersecurity Incident
Recipients: Current and Former Parents, Staff, and Students
PowerSchool has alerted Hyde County Schools and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) to a cybersecurity incident impacting student and teacher data across their global client base. This incident was not isolated to North Carolina. PowerSchool is a student information system (SIS) that has been in use in North Carolina since 2013.
Effective this school year, Hyde County Schools transitioned student data management to Infinite Campus so it is no longer using PowerSchool; however, as PowerSchool was previously the required SIS, the information of many Hyde County Schools students and staff remains stored within PowerSchool's systems.
On December 28, 2024, PowerSchool became aware of a cybersecurity incident that began on December 19, 2024, involving unauthorized access to student and teacher data. The data breach occurred when the credentials of a PowerSchool contract employee were compromised. PowerSchool has stated that the threat has been contained, the compromised data was not shared, and all impacted data has been destroyed. They are working with law enforcement to monitor the dark web for any potential data exposure.
PowerSchool has indicated that it is not experiencing any operational disruptions and continues to provide services.
Protecting student and educator data is a top priority for Hyde County Schools, and we take this matter very seriously. We regularly test the integrity of our network and provide ongoing employee training to ensure data security. It is important to stress that Hyde County Schools was not responsible for this breach.
In the coming days, impacted students and staff will receive direct notification from PowerSchool concerning whether their data was involved in the security breach and what measures are being offered to protect against potential identity theft. NCDPI and Hyde County Schools are committed to safeguarding our students and staff, and we are actively advocating on their behalf as we navigate this situation with PowerSchool.
Thank you for your understanding and support.
Melanie R. Shaver, EdD.
Superintendent
Hyde County Schools