Data breach hits dozens of Manitoba school divisions, exposes student information

A data breach at PowerSchool has compromised student information across dozens of Manitoba school divisions. 

The California company, which provides web-based student management systems, discovered a potential cybersecurity incident on December 28.

According to Education Minister Tracy Schmidt, 28 of 37 divisions are using or switching to PowerSchool in Manitoba. 

On January 7, Louis Riel School Division in Winnipeg and Seine River School Division in Lorette were told of the breach. 

Both divisions issued letters the following day to inform staff and parents.

Several other divisions, including Beautiful Plains, Brandon, and Mountain View, also alerted parents about the breach. 

Rolling River School Division posted a notice stating that PowerSchool confirmed that Rolling River students and staff data were not affected. 

However, Louis Riel School Division warned that some personal student information and staff names and emails may have been accessed.

Seine River School Division added that details such as student names, dates of birth, home phone numbers, sibling information, and parent names could have been exported. 

Division officials are working with the province to determine the extent of the breach.

PowerSchool said it has taken steps to secure the data and prevent further unauthorized access. 

The company said the breach is contained, stressing that it does not expect the compromised information to be shared or made public. 

Operations are said to be running normally.

Affected schools in Alberta, New Brunswick, and Ontario have also reported being notified by PowerSchool. 

While the scope of the breach remains unclear, each division is responsible for its own student information system.

"The incident is contained and we do not anticipate the data being shared or made public," said PowerSchool in a statement.

"PowerSchool is not experiencing, nor expects to experience, any operational disruption and continues to provide services as normal to our customers."