Hackers gained access to sensitive personal data of millions of students, parents, and teachers last month after breaching PowerSchool’s systems, according to two lawsuits filed in California federal court. The educational software company is accused of inadequate security measures that left personal information exposed, including Social Security numbers, addresses, grades, and medical records.
Allegations of Negligence and Delayed Notification
Two proposed class actions—filed by Indiana teacher Kimberly Kinney and California resident Sheilah Buack-Shelton with her underage daughter—allege that PowerSchool Holdings Inc. failed to secure private information and delayed notifying victims of the breach. Hackers reportedly infiltrated PowerSchool’s systems on Dec. 28, but affected individuals were not alerted until Jan. 7.
“PowerSchool failed to maintain reasonable security safeguards and protocols to protect its users’ personal identifiable information (PII),” Buack-Shelton alleged, noting that the compromised data appeared to be unencrypted.
