Narragansett School System

Dear NSS community,

As we previously communicated, PowerSchool – a cloud-based software vendor used by our district – recently experienced a cybersecurity incident involving unauthorized access to certain information in the PowerSchool Student Information System (SIS).

I am reaching out to share more information and next steps that we recently received directly from PowerSchool:

• Identity Protection and Credit Monitoring Services: PowerSchool has engaged Experian, a credit reporting agency, to offer two years of complimentary identity protection services for all students and educators whose information from our PowerSchool SIS was involved. This offer will also include two years of complimentary credit monitoring services for all adult students and educators whose information was involved.

• Notification to Individuals Involved: Starting in the next few weeks, in collaboration with Experian, PowerSchool will provide notice to students (or their parents / guardians if the student is under 18) and educators whose information was involved, as well as a phone number to answer any questions you may have about the incident. The notice will include the identity protection and credit monitoring services offered.

• As soon as PowerSchool learned of the incident, they engaged cybersecurity response protocols and mobilized senior leadership and third-party cybersecurity experts to conduct a forensic investigation of the scope of the incident and to monitor for signs of information misuse. PowerSchool is not aware of any identity theft attributable to this incident.

In the meantime, I encourage you to visit https://www.powerschool.com/security/sis-incident/ for up-to-date information on the cybersecurity incident. We care deeply about the welfare of our students, employees, and families and will continue to do everything we can to support you. PowerSchool has assured us that they will contact affected families and individuals directly in a timely manner to begin the process of enrolling in identity protection and credit monitoring services. I appreciate your patience as we work to hold PowerSchool accountable for taking the necessary steps to protect identities now and in the future after their security failure.

Sincerely,

Dr. Peter Cummings
Superintendent
Narragansett School System