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Lessons from the PowerSchool Breach

January 14, 2025
The recent PowerSchool breach, which exposed sensitive student and teacher data from multiple K-12 school districts, is a wake-up call for educational institutions relying on third-party services to manage critical data. With cybersecurity breaches becoming more frequent and severe, it’s essential to not only react to incidents like these but proactively prepare for them Below, we unpack what schools, districts, and their vendors should consider when protecting sensitive data and addressing breaches. 

 

Understanding Your Vendor Relationships

 

When contracting with vendors like PowerSchool, it’s crucial to clarify their obligations and responsibilities in the event of a breach. Questions you should address in your vendor agreements include: 

 

 

Notification Obligations 

    • Are vendors required to notify you in the event of a breach? 
    • What is the timeline for notification, and what level of detail must be provided (e.g., data types affected, scope, and mitigation steps)?

Certifications and Standards 

    • Do they hold recognized security certifications like SOC-2 or ISO-27001? 
    • Are they contractually required to demonstrate that they have a workable incident response (IR) plan?

Service-Level Agreements (SLAs) 

    • In the event of a disruption, can they restore data and systems quickly and efficiently? 
    • Do they have uptime or data integrity guarantees?

Accountability and Recourse 

    • Is there any compensation for failure to meet these SLAs or breach-related consequences?  
    • What consequences are in place if the vendor’s service is unavailable for extended periods? 

Proactive Preparedness for School Districts

While vendors like PowerSchool often bear significant responsibility for addressing breaches, districts must have their own contingency plans and should be asking themselves the following questions:  

 

Data Recovery and Integrity 

    • Do you have systems in place to verify whether student data has been altered (e.g., grades, personal information, or coursework)? 
    • If data was modified or corrupted, could you restore it?

Operational Continuity 

    • Could you continue operating if the vendor were taken offline by ransomware for a week? Two weeks? A month? What backup process or systems do you have in place to maintain critical functions?

Credential Security 

    • Have you prepared procedures to help parents and students reset passwords or if credentials are compromised? 

  

Communicating with Stakeholders

One of the most sensitive and challenging aspects of managing a breach is effective communication with students, parents, teachers, and staff. Consider the following: 

 

Pre-approved Communication Templates 

    • Do you have templates for emails, letters, or notices that are vetted and approved by Legal? These should balance transparency with calm professionalism, explaining: 
          • What happened
          • What data may have been affected
          • What actions are being taken to address the issue
          • Recommendations for what stakeholders can do (e.g., password resets, monitoring accounts)

Clear Lines of Communication 

    • Do you have an up-to-date list of email addresses and contact details to disseminate information efficiently? 
    • Who will the communication come from? It’s often best to involve IT, Legal, and leadership in drafting and vetting messaging.

Handling Questions and Concerns 

    • Prepare a process to manage inquiries from concerned parents or staff. This could include a dedicated helpline, FAQs, or a central point of contact. 

  

 

Lessons Learned and Long-Term Implications 

The PowerSchool breach underscores the importance of a comprehensive cybersecurity framework for all parties involved. While PowerSchool may shoulder the primary responsibility for responding to such incidents, schools and districts cannot remain passive bystanders. By addressing the following, districts can fortify their defenses: 

    • Vendor contracts should explicitly cover security certifications, breach notification timelines, and SLA guarantees. 
    • Schools must proactively prepare for worst-case scenarios, ensuring they can maintain operations and data integrity even if critical systems are disrupted. 
    • Communication is key. A clear plan for notifying and guiding stakeholders through the aftermath of a breach can minimize confusion and preserve trust. 

While no system is entirely immune to cyberattacks, strong vendor partnerships, proactive internal processes, and transparent communication are essential components of modern data protection. Incidents like this remind us that while technology enables innovation in education, it also requires diligence, planning, and responsibility. 

 

 

How is your district preparing for potential cybersecurity threats? Let’s work together to build resilient systems for our students, teachers, and communities.