Dear Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS) Community,
We are writing to inform you of a data breach that affected FCPS as part of a larger incident involving PowerSchool, a Student Information System (SIS) used by schools nationwide. The breach occurred between December 19 and 28, 2024, when a threat actor gained unauthorized access to data from districts across the country, including FCPS, using stolen credentials. FCPS became aware of the breach on January 7, 2025 and was notified by PowerSchool that FCPS was affected on January 8, 2025.
FCPS began a multi-year transition to a new SIS last school year as our previous SIS, used for over 10 years, is being phased out. During this migration, some data was transferred to the PowerSchool platform, and some of this data was affected by the breach.
Here’s what we know so far:
Data Affected: The breach impacted two FCPS data tables in the new SIS, including records of both teachers and students. We are actively working with PowerSchool to determine exactly what data was impacted and will share additional information in a follow-up communication.
Mitigation Steps: PowerSchool has confirmed that the breached data file has been deleted and is no longer accessible. They have also notified the FBI and hired a cybersecurity firm, CrowdStrike, to assist in addressing the breach. CrowdStrike has reported that at this time no data from the breach has been found on the dark web, and they continue to monitor this space.
While this breach has affected many districts across the country and the full scope of the breach is still being investigated, we want to assure you that FCPS stopped collecting social security numbers for students more than 10 years ago so this sensitive data was not exposed.
While PowerSchool is responsible for this incident and its impact, our team acted swiftly once we were notified and is continuing to investigate. FCPS understands the importance of your trust and is diligently committed to protecting our student and staff data.
PowerSchool has informed FCPS that they will provide additional information, including contact information, that community members can use to dialogue directly with the company. We will share that information with you once it is available.
Thank you for your understanding.
Sincerely,
Frederick County Public Schools