Dear South Haven Staff and Families,
I’m writing to let you know that today PowerSchool notified us about a widespread data breach that they reported happened on Dec. 28, 2024 that affected a large number of school districts across the United States. According to the message from PowerSchool, they believe that this breach is now contained, and all stolen data has been destroyed. They do not believe any information has been, or will be released. However, during the breach, personal and private information of students and staff from many school districts was in the possession of a malicious actor.
USD 509 is serious about protecting the security and privacy of your data. This breach not only violates our expectations for district vendors; it also violates board policy and Kansas law. At this time, we have limited information and await additional guidance from PowerSchool officials. Rest assured, we are doing everything we can to learn more and will notify you directly if/when we receive information about how this breach affects you/your family, your data or your next steps.
We want to be clear that this breach was due to a failure of PowerSchool’s own security mechanisms, and not a breach of any system in USD 509.
Thank you for your partnership as we work through this incident with PowerSchool. Our commitment to protecting your private data has never been stronger, and we greatly appreciate your patience and trust in the coming weeks.
Sincerely,
South Haven Administration and IT Personnel