New and Noteworthy
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Smethport Area School District (SASD) was notified by PowerSchool that our school district was one of many clients throughout the nation impacted by a cybersecurity incident involving unauthorized access to student and staff member data. PowerSchool is the student information system (SIS) utilized by SASD.
According to information from PowerSchool, a compromised credential was used to access data stored in their PowerSchool SIS in late December. When PowerSchool became aware of the incident, they notified law enforcement, locked down the system, and engaged the services of a professional advisor with experience in negotiating with threat actors. PowerSchool states that they have received “reasonable assurances from the threat actor that the data has been deleted and that no additional copies exist.”
SASD’s IT Department continues to investigate this incident. Our investigation indicates that the personal information for staff and students may have been accessed. This may include contact information, including names and addresses, date of birth, some health information specific to some students, and parent/guardian names, addresses, and phone numbers. Importantly, SASD does not input social security numbers for students or staff members into PowerSchool. As we learn more about the incident, we will reach out to any impacted individuals and ensure that appropriate next steps are taken.
Please take a moment to read Superintendent Brice Benson’s complete letter regarding the PowerSchool incident.
Yearbooks are now available for purchase online for the 2024–2025 school year. The cost is $60. Do not miss this opportunity to preserve your school memories!