GREENSTONE — The English public school board that serves many communities east of Thunder Bay says, while it was notified about a data breach at PowerSchool—a student information system platform used by many school boards across North America—its investigation with the company has found that it was not affected.
A spokesperson for the Superior-Greenstone District School Board told Newswatch on Thursday that, working with the company, it has determined that it was not impacted by the incident.
In a letter to parents and families on Thursday, director of education Will Goodman said that the board's cybersecurity team "immediately activated response plans to ensure the continued security and functionality of critical systems."
Even though the board's systems weren't affected, he said that "we will continue to work closely with PowerSchool and monitor the situation."
The company told affected school boards on Wednesday that it had suffered the security breach between December 22 and 28, 2024. So far, the English public and Catholic school boards in Thunder Bay have confirmed to Newswatch that they were also notified.
The Conseil scolaire de district catholique des Aurores boréales said they don’t use the platform.
PowerSchool is a student information system that helps schools manage student data, including enrollment, grades, attendance and schedules, providing tools for teachers, administrators and families, including portals that allow families to track academic progress and attendance. It is used by thousands of school boards and organizations across North America.
