Douglas Unified notifies families after PowerSchool cybersecurity incident

Superintendent Samaniego said the district was notified on Jan. 7 that PowerSchool — the student information system that stores grades, student records and parent contact information — experienced a cybersecurity incident that impacted several of its customers, including Douglas Unified.

Samaniego said the district sent families a notification letter provided by PowerSchool on the day of the meeting and that PowerSchool is conducting further investigation. "At this time, we don't have any other information, but they're still doing their due diligence to ensure that we weren't seriously compromised," Samaniego said.

The superintendent asked families to watch for further updates from PowerSchool and district staff, and said the district will follow up with parents and employees as the vendor releases new details. The board did not take action on the item; the update was presented as information only.

Why it matters: the district stores student grades and contact data in PowerSchool, so a vendor incident can raise questions about student privacy and next steps for notification and mitigation. The superintendent told the board the district has not yet identified evidence of a substantial compromise and is awaiting PowerSchool's findings.

Next steps: district staff said they will share any new information from PowerSchool with families and will continue coordinating with the vendor and legal counsel, if needed.