The state of North Carolina’s student information system provider since 2013, PowerSchool, notified the RCS that an unauthorized party gained access to its system in December 2024. School systems across the U.S. and world were impacted, including RCS. Information about RCS students, families and staff was accessed during this incident.
PowerSchool reported that steps were taken to prevent the data from further misuse and the company believes the data has been deleted. According to PowerSchool, the incident was contained and they do not anticipate the data being shared or made public. NC DPI says there was no action RCS could have taken to prevent this incident, which happened at the company level.
Data Breach Details
Based on information from PowerSchool, personal data of current and former staff members and students was accessed. PowerSchool officials said it plans to begin issuing notifications to involved individuals and relevant state attorney general offices in the first week of February. It is unclear when anyone from RCS will be notified that their information was breached.
Identity Protection & Credit Monitoring Now Available - New!
PowerSchool announced it will work with the credit monitoring agency Experian to offer identity protection and credit monitoring services to all students and educators whose information was involved in the data breach. Visit the PowerSchool website to enroll now.
PowerSchool officials say it will provide: Two years of complimentary identity protection services and two years of complimentary credit monitoring services.
PowerSchool reported that it will set up a call center to answer questions from the community in the very near future. See the PowerSchool website for frequently asked questions about the data breach.
Want more information about protecting your identify? Visit the NC Attorney General’s website for advice on monitoring or freezing your credit and other ways to guard your personal information.