Dear GCPS Family,
We are writing to update you on a nationwide cybersecurity breach that has affected PowerSchool, the company that provides the district's student information system. PowerSchool recently discovered unauthorized access to its systems and is working to address the situation.
According to PowerSchool, an unauthorized party used a compromised PowerSchool maintenance account credential to access some user data and the platform's PowerSource tool's management console. The company has further shared that the breach was contained and no malware was involved.
PowerSchool informed district users that the compromised data is demographic and directory. To our knowledge, no grades or other academic data was compromised. The company is now working to prevent any compromised data from further unauthorized access or misuse. The company believes this data has been deleted and will not be shared publicly.
It is worth noting that this breach is on PowerSchool's end and has not affected any of our other district systems. No Gloucester County Public Schools systems or credentials were compromised in this breach.
We recognize that GCPS families may have many questions; however, we do not have any additional information to share. PowerSchool has stated they will release further details and provide support in the coming days and weeks.
This is a national problem affecting school districts throughout the state and beyond. Gloucester County Public Schools goes to great lengths to protect student and staff information and will continue to prioritize data security as a critical responsibility. Thank you for your attention to this important update.
Sincerely,
The Gloucester County School District