On the afternoon of Wednesday, May 7, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) alerted North Carolina Public Schools that several school and North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) employees across the state received email messages within the past week from threat actors claiming to have access to the same student and teacher data from the January breach. We have been informed that other states, including Canadian school districts, have received similar messages.
Based on the current status of NCDPI’s investigation, DPI believes yesterday’s threat actors have access to the same data originally compromised in the January PowerSchool data breach. That data includes student and staff names, contact information, social security numbers (limited student social security numbers), birthdays, medical notes, passwords (limited), and parent/guardian information.
NCDPI has already notified appropriate law enforcement agencies, who are actively investigating this incident.
We want to assure you that Sampson County Schools and NCDPI have done everything possible to protect this information. PowerSchool, the vendor responsible for the incident, has taken full responsibility for the breach and is providing support services for those impacted.
What You Need to Know:
Please do not open any suspicious links or emails related to this incident with content referencing in the first line of the email, “We are Shiny Hunters.”
Do not engage with anyone claiming to have this data.
As a reminder: PowerSchool is providing two years of free identity protection and credit monitoring through Experian to all students and educators through July 1, 2025. NCDPI is advocating for this window to be extended further to ensure everyone has time to enroll. Individuals can enroll in identity protection and credit monitoring at no cost to themselves here. If you enrolled following the January breach, you do not need to reenroll. Services include:
Two years of complimentary identity protection for all students and educators
Two years of complimentary credit monitoring for all adult students and educators
These services are available regardless of whether an individual's Social Security number was compromised.
Additional protection: Impacted users can freeze their identity for free through the North Carolina Department of Justice.
As we continue to work through this incident, we are committed to supporting SCS students, families, and staff with transparency and care. Should we receive any additional information or updates, we will notify our families and staff. To ensure that your credit is protected, we strongly encourage you to enroll in the free identity protection and credit monitoring being offered.