The student information system used by every public school in the state — including Dothan City Schools — fell victim to a data breach which may have put Alabama students’ medical and grade information at risk, according to the state Department of Education in reporting from AL.com.
PowerSchool is used as a student information vendor. The Department of Education said a cybersecurity incident occurred in which a currently unknown party had unauthorized access.
The communications director for the Alabama Department of Education said the attack was directed at PowerSchool internationally and was not specifically targeting Alabama.
Dothan City Schools put out a release, saying they were notified on Jan. 7 about the cybersecurity incident.
While social security numbers are safe, some “medical and grade information” for students could have been impacted. DCS said affected data could include sensitive personal information like names, addresses and email addresses.
The company claimed the data involved in the breach was deleted and not shared or made public.
“The company has assured us that the incident is contained, and there is no evidence of ongoing unauthorized activity or operational disruptions,” the DCS release read.
While the company is offering credit monitoring and identity protection services to those whose sensitive data was compromised, its unclear whether those offers will be extended to Alabama customers because sensitive personal data is not collected or stored in the system.
