Update: Friday, March 28, 2025
Students and staff attending or working at the Juneau School District at any time between the 2008-2009 school year and the present school year have had their information compromised in a PowerSchool data breach, according to an update sent on Thursday to those affected.
The student information system provider became aware of a cybersecurity incident on Dec. 28, 2024, affecting some students and staff in the Juneau School District.
The breach occurred through a customer support portal, PowerSource.
Kristin Bartlett, the district’s chief of staff, noted in Thursday’s update that JSD does not collect or store Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, or any credit card information.
PowerSchool is in the process of directly notifying current and former students and educators whose information was involved in the recent cybersecurity incident. JSD is also attempting to notify individuals who may not have received direct notification because they are no longer active in the email system.
PowerSchool is offering two years of complimentary identity protection services for all students and educators whose information was involved, regardless of what information about an individual was pulled.
This offer also includes two years of complimentary credit monitoring services for adult students and educators. Individuals must enroll by July 31, 2025.
For questions, contact public.relations@powerschool.com.
Original story: Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025
The Juneau School District notified staff and families that it was unaffected by a national cybersecurity incident involving PowerSchool on Friday. However, on Tuesday, JSD confirmed it was indeed impacted.
On Friday, PowerSchool, a company that provides the district with its student information system, alerted JSD of a cybersecurity strike involving unauthorized access to certain customer data. Kristin Bartlett, the district’s chief of staff, wrote in an email that PowerSchool confirmed through a forensic investigation that information related to products in use by JSD was not affected in the incident.
But on Tuesday evening, Bartlett wrote in another message to staff and families that “PowerSchool has now reversed course and said that JSD has ‘been affected by the breach.’”
Following the notification from PowerSchool, the JSD IT Department reviewed data logs to verify the PowerSchool report independently. JSD IT initially found no evidence of a data breach, according to Bartlett. However, during a continued examination of data logs for preceding dates, JSD IT discovered suspicious activity.
“JSD IT immediately reported the suspicious activity to PowerSchool,” Bartlett wrote. “Our PowerSchool representative sent JSD the following reply: ‘I can confirm that you have been affected by the breach.’”
The district is currently awaiting notification from PowerSchool with details of the breach affecting the product.
“Thus far, PowerSchool has indicated, regarding other, non-JSD breaches, that the affected data includes parent, student, and staff contact information, such as name and address information,” Bartlett wrote.
Along with warning staff, families, and students to be cautious of phishing and social engineering attacks, Bartlett directed them to PowerSchool’s FAQ page. She also wrote that the JSD IT Help Desk will never ask someone for their current password.
“JSD has trusted PowerSchool with data for many years,” she wrote. “Protecting this data is something the district takes very seriously.”
• Contact Jasz Garrett at jasz.garrett@juneauempire.com or (907) 723-9356.
