Jan. 10—At least nine Maine school districts have been affected by a breach of the global K-12 school software platform PowerSchool.
The company says its software, the most-used student information platform in the United States, serves 50 million students across the country. On Wednesday, PowerSchool informed clients nationwide that their data may have been compromised in the cybersecurity breach.
It’s unclear what information was accessed during the breach, and a spokesperson for PowerSchool said the company is conducting an ongoing data review with hopes of alerting customers to details of the breach “as soon as possible.”
The total number of Maine schools impacted by the breach is still unknown, but at least nine districts have notified families that they were contacted by the company about possible issues.
Maranacook area schools (RSU38) in Readfield told parents that its student data was part of the breach on Thursday.
“Initial information from PowerSchool indicates that Personally Identifiable Information for staff and students was accessed for some districts. This may include contact information, including names and addresses, dates of birth and grade level information for current and former students, and parent/guardian names and addresses,” Superintendent Jay Charette wrote, who clarified that Social Security numbers and financial data were not stored in that system.
The Gardiner school district, MSAD 11, also notified families that it had been affected by the breach.
“PowerSchool has assured us that the breach has been contained and that they are taking all necessary steps to secure their systems and prevent future incidents. While no operational disruptions have occurred, it is possible that certain student, staff and family information was accessed,” administrators wrote. “We are working closely with PowerSchool to understand the scope of the incident and will provide updates as more information becomes available.”
The district covering Skowhegan, Canaan and other Somerset County towns was also informed of the breach. MSAD 54 Superintendent of Schools Jonathan Moody told the district’s board of directors Thursday that the district received multiple communications from the company this week, but it was unclear if MSAD 54 data was affected or to what extent. He said district officials were expecting an update from Power School Friday and would communicate what they find out with families.
Brunswick School Department Superintendent Phillip Potenziano told families about the breach in an email but said he was not yet sure whether it affected the district. Susan Dorris, Auburn School Department superintendent, said they were among the clients whose data may have been accessed.
“While we are awaiting additional details, we want to ensure our community is aware of this ongoing situation, which is currently under investigation,” Dorris said in a letter to the school community. “Importantly, we have been informed that it remains safe to continue using your PowerSchool account.”
RSU 21, which covers Arundel, Kennebunk and Kennebunkport, told families about the issue in a letter Wednesday night.
“PowerSchool has made it very clear this was not a cyber attack directed at schools (including RSU 21), but rather a PowerSchool incident,” the district’s IT Director Jamie Jensen said. “Given the global use of PowerSchool, it may take some time to know the exact details of our specific situation.”
According to reporting from WGME, Cumberland, Yarmouth and Lewiston schools were also impacted.
Kennebec Journal reporters Jake Freudberg and Emily Duggan contributed reporting.
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