School district confirms data breach

Posted 1/15/25

EVANSTON — Uinta County School District No. 1 notified students, parents and staff about a data breach that impacted local schools, as well as districts nationwide.

“This release is …

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School district confirms data breach

Posted

EVANSTON — Uinta County School District No. 1 notified students, parents and staff about a data breach that impacted local schools, as well as districts nationwide.

“This release is to inform the community of a recent security incident involving PowerSchool, the provider of [the district’s] student information system (SIS),” reads a press release issued on Thursday, Jan. 9. “PowerSchool confirmed it suffered a cybersecurity incident that allowed a threat actor to steal the personal information of students and staff from school districts using its PowerSchool SIS platform.”

While some information about students and staff was breached, the press release, issued by UCSD No. 1 Superintendent Ryan Thomas, goes on to assure the community that the information involved is “limited primarily to directory information for students and staff, such as demographic data like names, addresses, phone numbers,” the release states. “It did not include any financial, academic or behavioral records.”

PowerSchool has enacted their security protocols to contain the breach and has since taken significant steps to secure their systems, including password resets and enhanced security measures, according to the release.

“As a district, we are deeply committed to maintaining the highest standards of data protection,” the release states. “While we have a number of systems in place to protect student data, this breach was out of our control.  However, PowerSchool has assured us that the breach is contained, and there is no evidence of ongoing unauthorized activity.

“We will be staying vigilant and reviewing any related accounts for unusual activity as a precaution,” it continues. “We are working closely with the State of Wyoming Cyber Assistant Response Effort (CARE) as well as the Wyoming Department of Education (WDE) to appropriately address this breach.

Officials said they have no evidence of misuse of the exposed information, but they encourage parents to remain vigilant.

“Monitor any communications, accounts and/or credit reports linked to your directory information and report any suspicious activity,” the release states.

The district said PowerSchool will release more information to affected districts worldwide and, as officials get that information, they will communicate that to the public using a link found on the district’s website.

Information relating to this incident can be found on the district website along with a Facts and Questions (FAQ) from PowerSchool at www.uinta1.com. 

“Thank you for your understanding and patience as we address this matter.  We remain dedicated to ensuring the safety and privacy of our students and staff.  If you have additional questions, please email UCSD #1 at psbreach@uinta1.com,” the release concludes.