RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson is investigating the December 2024 PowerSchool data breach, his office announced Thursday.
According to the attorney general’s office, PowerSchool sells software products used by schools across the country, including all the public schools in all 100 counties in North Carolina. The data breach impacted more than 62.4 million current and former students and teachers across the country, including nearly four million people in North Carolina.
The attorney general’s office said businesses and organizations that fall victim to a data breach in North Carolina are required to report the breach and the information that was compromised to the North Carolina Department of Justice.
According to PowerSchool, the breach impacted the following information:
For staff:
- Full names (first, middle, last)
- Street addresses
- Social Security numbers
- Home phone numbers
- Email addresses used for work-related communication
For current and former students:
- Names (first, middle, last) of students, parents, and guardians
- Physical and mailing addresses
- Date of birth
- Gender and ethnicity
- Student identification numbers
- Guardian or parent email addresses and phone numbers
- Emergency contact details (names and phone numbers)
“I’m a parent who uses PowerSchool, so I know what millions of North Carolina families are concerned about with this data breach,” Jackson said in a statement. “I’m investigating PowerSchool to determine if they broke any laws in this process and I’ll take additional legal action if necessary. We’ll continue working to guard our state from data breaches and hold those who fail to properly protect information accountable.”
