Dear WNESU Families, Faculty, Staff, and Community,
We write to share a development regarding PowerSchool, WNESU’s Student Information System provider, that may affect certain WNESU students and faculty. This week, PowerSchool notified WNESU and many other school districts across the country that it experienced a recent cybersecurity incident involving exposure of certain student and teacher data stored within PowerSchool systems. According to PowerSchool, in December 2024, an unauthorized party gained access to PowerSchool systems and was able to download information relating to many school districts’ students and teachers, and WNESU received notice of this incident because PowerSchool believes WNESU information may have been affected. PowerSchool has assured that the incident was limited to data stored on PowerSchool system and is now contained, and there is no persistent threat to WNESU data or to WNESU systems. PowerSchool has also communicated that they have taken steps to ensure that the copied data has been deleted and will not be shared publicly.
Since receiving notice from PowerSchool of the incident this week, WNESU has worked diligently to gather additional information from PowerSchool and understand what WNESU information may have been affected and if that information relates to WNESU students and teachers. Please note that this incident did not occur within WNESU systems, and furthermore, WNESU does not store any Social Security Numbers, government issued identification numbers, or financial information within the PowerSchool system.
Protecting and safeguarding information of students, teachers, faculty, and staff are among WNESU’s highest priorities, regardless of whether that information is stored by WNESU or its vendors. As such, WNESU has been working around the clock to gain additional details about the incident from PowerSchool and fully investigate this incident. As we receive additional information from PowerSchool about the incident, we will share relevant updates and developments with the WNESU community, and if any students, teachers, or faculty members are determined to be affected, they will be notified directly.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out. You can direct all inquiries to the Superintendent's Office at (802) 463-9958. Thank you for your attention to this important update.
Sincerely,
Andrew Haas
Superintendent of Schools