Poquoson board reviews PowerSchool data breach response and contract terms

Poquoson City Public Schools officials reviewed the district's response to a December data breach at PowerSchool and described steps families can take after the vendor sent notification emails to impacted accounts.

In a discussion during the March 18 school board meeting, Operations Director Andrew Roberts said PowerSchool sent mass emails to families it identified as affected and the district followed up with a ParentSquare notice directing families to vendor-provided support and to the district's own reporting channel, Let's Talk. Roberts said district staff are opening tickets with PowerSchool when parents report apparent errors so those records can be corrected.

Board members pressed staff about the district's contract with PowerSchool, specifically language they read as an indemnification clause that could require a customer to defend the vendor. Tracy Spence, the district's chief financial officer, said all contracts are reviewed by the district's attorneys and noted the district is also researching alternative student-information systems used by other divisions. Spence and Roberts said the PowerSchool contract is an annual agreement and that district…