Dear South Fayette Township School District Community:
On January 7, 2025, the district received notification from PowerSchool, the software vendor hosting our student information system (SIS), of a “potential cyber security incident” involving unauthorized access to certain PowerSchool SIS customer data. Numerous school districts, both locally and throughout North America, including SFTSD, were impacted. This incident occurred within PowerSchool’s systems, not those of our district.
PowerSchool has stated that this unauthorized activity was quickly contained and that measures to secure their systems, including password resets and enhanced access controls, were promptly implemented. In its initial notice to SFTSD, PowerSchool stated: “We do not anticipate the data being shared or made public, and we believe it has been deleted without any further replication or dissemination.” They have notified law enforcement and have confirmed that there is no evidence of malware or ongoing unauthorized activity. Their services remain operational and without disruption.
PowerSchool has not been able to immediately provide district-specific information or details on the incident. They are still identifying and processing information regarding the incident and the details of the individuals impacted within each school district. While we have been informed from PowerSchool that data from SFTSD is involved, PowerSchool has not provided us with any information regarding the specific data that was accessed or the identities of the impacted parties/individuals. Social security numbers, driver’s license numbers, and/or financial account numbers from individuals are not stored within our district’s PowerSchool record, and therefore, this information would not have been accessible.
At SFTSD, the privacy and security of our staff members’ and students’ personal information is of the utmost importance. We are following current policies and all relevant state laws related to this unfortunate occurrence, and we are committed to ensuring that PowerSchool takes all appropriate measures to address it. They have indicated it may take several weeks to identify and inform impacted individuals. Throughout that time, we will be closely monitoring the situation and will share updates, as well as any resources, that are made available to us by PowerSchool.
Sincerely,
South Fayette Township School District