In January of this year, PowerSchool informed LKSD that they experienced a data breach that resulted in student and staff data being downloaded from their database. This data breach applies to any students enrolled in any LKSD schools between July 2003 and December 21 st, 2024, and any staff members who used PowerSchool during that time to support them.
After further investigation, it has been determined that the student records that were downloaded did contain personally
identifiable information such as name, address, date of birth, social security number, and medical alert information. The majority of the staff members’ data that was downloaded did not include this data. However, a small set of staff members had their social security numbers populated in the database. A separate notification will be sent to those staff members whose data contained their social security numbers. LKSD has taken several measures to ensure this kind of breach cannot occur again, including removing student and staff full social security numbers from the PowerSchool database, only listing students’ last four digits, and locking down PowerSchool’s maintenance access.
Because of measures PowerSchool has taken to re-secure the stolen data, they do not believe this data will be leaked to the public. However, they are still offering free credit monitoring services so students and staff can keep track of their credit to ensure no unsavory activity occurs. Below is the information provided by PowerSchool regarding the incident, with links and information on how to access the free credit monitoring services they are offering. LKSD encourages students and staff to take advantage of the free credit monitoring services to ensure they remain aware of any unexpected activity that may take place. If you have any questions regarding the breach, please visit the following URL
https://www.powerschool.com/security/sis-incident/. If you have any other questions or need assistance navigating this event, please feel free to contact your school or the district office at 907-543-4855.
Sincerely,
Gregory D. Sweet
Coordinator of Information Technology, Lower Kuskokwim School District