A young boy walks down a hallway at Carter Traditional Elementary School in Louisville, Ky. Kentucky is one of three states with school choice questions on the ballot this fall. (File/Jon Cherry/Getty Images)
WEST COLUMBIA — South Carolina students and teachers were among those who had their personal information accessed in an international data breach, according to the state Department of Education.
State officials are still trying to determine the scope of the breach for Palmetto State school districts, according to a Wednesday news release. It’s unclear what kind of data might have been stolen. The release says only that “personally identifiable information was compromised.”
A spokesman for the department did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday. Neither did a representative for PowerSchool, which oversees systems for more than 45 million students around the world, according to the company’s website.
PowerSchool is used by districts for a variety of purposes, including tracking student attendance and grades, schedules and training. The cloud-based software giant contained the data breach and has been taking steps to secure its systems, consult with cybersecurity experts and report the incident to law enforcement, according to the news release.
State Superintendent Ellen Weaver said she recognizes the anxiety caused by the breach.
“While PowerSchool has taken accountability for this breach, our department will take uncompromising action to ensure we uncover the complete extent of this incident,” she said in the release. “We will insist that PowerSchool not only notify affected individuals but also provide them with credit and identity monitoring services.”
Department of Education officials have been keeping the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, the Attorney General’s Office and the governor appraised of the situation, according to the release.
“The protection of our South Carolina students’ and educators’ personal data is non-negotiable,” Weaver said.