New Hanover County Schools

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PowerSchool Data Breach

 

New Hanover County Schools is committed to being transparent and delivering information as quickly as possible regarding the global cybersecurity incident with PowerSchool. All legal notifications will be sent from PowerSchool to individuals whose information was compromised. PowerSchool has a tentative timeline of notifications by the end of January. In an effort to assist our families and staff, we have included the messages from the Superintendent below. We have also included links to the PowerSchool website that has the incident details along with frequently asked questions for families and educators.

Additionally, you will find a link to the Department of Justice's Security Freeze Website with details on what is a security freeze and how to complete one. 

As additional details become available we will notify our staff and families via our communication platforms as well as updating information here.
 

Superintendent's Message May 8, 2025

Dear NHCS Families,
 
I wanted to let you know of a recent update related to the PowerSchool data breach that occurred in late 2024 and was reported in January of this year. Several school and North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) employees across the state received messages from threat actors claiming to possess data from that breach. NCDPI was also informed that several Canadian school districts have received similar messages.
 
Based on the current status of NCDPI’s investigation, it is believed that the threat actors have access to the same data tables that were originally compromised by Powerschool. 
 
NCDPI has already notified appropriate law enforcement agencies, who are actively investigating this incident.
 
We want to assure you that your New Hanover County Schools and NCDPI have done everything possible to protect this information. PowerSchool, the vendor responsible for the incident, has taken full responsibility for the breach and is providing support services for those impacted.
 
What You Need to Know:
  • Please do not open any suspicious links or emails related to this incident.
  • Do not engage with anyone claiming to have this data.
  • If you received such a message, please report it immediately by completing the form below for the school district and emailing NCDPI’s Cybersecurity Team (k12cybersecteam@dpi.nc.gov)
 
PowerSchool is offering two years of free identity protection and credit monitoring to all affected students and educators through July 1, 2025. NCDPI is advocating for this window to be extended further to ensure everyone has time to enroll. Affected individuals can enroll in identity protection and credit monitoring at no cost to themselves here.  Services include:
 
  • Two years of complimentary identity protection for all students and educators affected
  • Two years of complimentary credit monitoring for all adult students and educators affected
  • These services are available regardless of whether an individual's Social Security number was compromised.
 
Important Reminder: PowerSchool has taken full responsibility for this data breach. There was nothing that NCDPI or New Hanover County Schools could have done to prevent this incident.
 
As we continue to work through this incident, we are committed to supporting our staff, students, and families with transparency. We will continue to add any updates to our website 
 
Thank you for your continued commitment to our students and communities.
 
Sincerely,
Christopher R. Barnes, Ed.D.
Superintendent
New Hanover County Schools

Previous Superintendent's Messages

 

PowerSchool Website Incident Details

Free Security Freeze Details and Instructions

"A “security freeze” blocks access to your credit unless you have given your permission. This can prevent an identity thief from opening a new account or getting credit in your name. All consumers can get a free security freeze online, by phone or by mail. A security freeze, also known as a credit or a file freeze, can be lifted (or “thawed”) temporarily when you are applying for credit, or removed permanently. Parents and guardians can also shield their children’s credit report with a special Protected Consumer security freeze. These freezes can also be used to safeguard incapacitated adults."

-DOJ Website