(Baltimore, MD) – PowerSchool – a cloud-based software vendor used by many of our Catholic schools – recently experienced a cybersecurity incident involving unauthorized access to certain information within the PowerSchool Student Information System (“SIS”). PowerSchool informed us that on December 28, 2024, they became aware that personal information of students and educators from the SIS was exported through one of their support portals, PowerSource.
Upon learning of the incident from PowerSchool on January 7, 2025, we acted swiftly to investigate its impact on our students and teaching staff. We also engaged legal counsel to help us assess the situation and take the necessary steps to protect our community.
Since January, PowerSchool (PS) has issued general communications to schools, indicating that they would begin notifying affected individuals on a rolling basis. However, due to the scale of the impact—affecting millions of students and staff—PS is not coordinating with individual schools regarding the specific timing of these notifications.
PowerSchool, through Experian, has now begun sending direct email notifications to affected individuals (or their parent/guardian, as applicable) where sufficient contact information is available. These notifications include an offer of identity protection or credit monitoring services. The emails will come from PowerSchool: “Ps-sis-incident@mail1.csid.com.”
We have also requested additional details to confirm who will be notified.
Furthermore, PowerSchool has set up a toll-free call center to answer questions associated with these offerings and the incident. All the information regarding the activation of and access to these services will be included in the email sent to you by Experian. These emails will not be sent by the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Baltimore. Whether or not you receive an email, you may also visit PowerSchool’s website to learn how to activate the offering from Experian, and for additional information:http://www.powerschool.com/security/sis-incident/notice-of-united-states-data-breach/.
Nothing is more important to us than the safety and security of our students, parents, and educators. We remain fully committed to ensuring our school continues to provide the highest quality education.
Department of Catholic Schools, Baltimore
Office of Risk Management