January 9, 2025
On Tuesday, January 7th, PowerSchool notified our Technology Department there was a potential cybersecurity incident within their system. We received notice today (January 9th) that our data was part of this incident. As soon as we learned of this incident, RSU #38/Maranacook Area Schools engaged our Data Incident Response Team.
We are awaiting more information; however, we want to ensure our community is aware that this is an ongoing situation that is being investigated at this time. We have been informed that it is safe to continue using our PowerSchool account.
WHAT HAPPENED?
According to PowerSchool, someone used a compromised credential belonging to one of PowerSchool’s support personnel to access data from their Support Portal. This allowed them to access, and download information, from PowerSchool customers’ Student Information Systems, including ours. When PowerSchool became aware of the incident, they notified law enforcement, locked down the system and took additional steps.
WHAT DATA COULD HAVE BEEN ACCESSED?
Initial information from PowerSchool indicates that Personally Identifiable Information (PII) 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. Please note that RSU #38/Maranacook Area Schools does not retain student social security numbers or financial information in the PowerSchool Student Information System.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
PowerSchool has stated, “We have taken all appropriate steps to prevent the data involved from further unauthorized access or misuse. We do not anticipate the data being shared or made public, and we believe it has been deleted without any further replication or dissemination.” PowerSchool has engaged a cybersecurity contractor to provide monitoring services to ensure that none of the stolen data reappears in the future.
As we receive more information from PowerSchool, we will relay this to families and the community and to any specific individuals impacted.