Families and Staff, January 10, 2025
I am writing to share with you that PowerSchool (a company that provides our school district and many others in the county, with student information management software) recently informed us of a cybersecurity incident that impacted their data. This incident is limited to PowerSchool that supports 50 million students and 16,000 schools - with no evidence of further impact to any programs used by St Clair County schools.
On January 7th, 2025 PowerSchool advised St Clair County RESA that on December 28, 2024 there was unauthorized access to certain customer data, including some information related to local school districts (including ours). PowerSchool has informed us that they have taken all appropriate steps to prevent the data involved from further unauthorized access or misuse.
PowerSchool has assured us that they will continue to provide any necessary support that is warranted. Their spokesperson stated “We have taken all appropriate steps to prevent the data involved from further unauthorized access or misuse. The incident is contained, and we do not anticipate the data being shared or made public.” Basically, this means that PowerSchool paid a ransom to the hackers in exchange for the deletion of any stolen data.
While PowerSchool is responsible for this incident and its impact, our team and the team at St Clair RESA acted swiftly once notified and are continuing to ensure our data is safe. In addition, we at Port Huron Schools are partnering with The Crum & Forster Cyber Response Team to ensure all steps are being taken appropriately. We anticipate PowerSchool sending a detailed communication letter out to all staff and families soon but want to be transparent as the investigation continues and let you know in advance. We will continue to update you as we learn more from PowerSchool and the authorities.
Thank you for your understanding and your patience. Any specific questions can be directed to PowerSchool at 866-434-6276.
Sincerely,
Mr. Theo Kerhoulas
Superintendent