January 14, 2025
Dear Dorchester County Public Schools (DCPS) Community,
We wanted to share an update on the data breach suffered by the company PowerSchool, used by DCPS and many school systems throughout the state and the nation.
The company determined that for a portion of individuals, some personally identifiable information, such as social security numbers and medical information, was impacted. PowerSchool is working with urgency to complete its investigation and determine whether such information belonging to our students and educators was included. Overall, PowerSchool said the incident is contained and the company has enhanced its security protocols. We were assured that there is no current and ongoing threat to our students' and educators' data.
Through discussions with PowerSchool leadership, it was made clear there was no additional action DCPS could have taken to prevent the breach. PowerSchool said the incident was an attack on the company, not any school system.
PowerSchool will be sharing more information and resources — including credit monitoring or identity protection services, if applicable. For more information regarding the data breach and the measures being taken to address it, we encourage you to visit the official PowerSchool website, https://www.powerschool.com/security/sis-incident/. They have set up a dedicated page where you can find the latest updates, resources, and guidance on protecting your personal information. In addition, you may wish to visit https://www.usa.gov/credit-freeze for information on placing a freeze on your credit report.
We understand how the news of this breach of one our trusted partners is a great concern for you. We take the security of our students' and staffs' personal information very seriously. We are coordinating with PowerSchool and other information technology leaders in Maryland to fully assess this situation and safeguard our community.
Sincerely,
Dr. Jymil Thompson
Superintendent
Dorchester County Public Schools