Important notification about PowerSchool Cybersecurity Incident

JMCSS Employees and Families,

On Tuesday afternoon, January 7, the Jackson-Madison County School System (JMCSS) student information system provider, PowerSchool, informed the district that an unauthorized party gained access to its system. This incident affected school systems across the state, nation, and even the world, including JMCSS. During this breach, information about JMCSS students, families, and staff was accessed.

PowerSchool is currently investigating the incident with federal law enforcement. They have taken measures to prevent the misuse of the data and believe that it has been successfully deleted. However, they emphasize that the incident is contained, and they do not anticipate any further sharing or public disclosure of the data. Law enforcement officials are closely monitoring the situation to ensure that the information remains confidential.

JMCSS is collaborating closely with PowerSchool to identify the specific information that was accessed and to determine the appropriate steps that PowerSchool can take to support any individual whose data may have been breached.

PowerSchool asserts that there was no action JMCSS could have taken to prevent this incident, as it occurred at the company level.

PowerSchool is a web-based platform that school systems utilize to manage student and staff data. Protecting this sensitive information is of utmost importance, and JMCSS takes this matter very seriously.

We will keep families and staff informed as we receive further updates from PowerSchool and federal authorities.

We appreciate your patience as we and our school district colleagues worldwide work diligently to resolve this situation.