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Board reviews PowerSchool renewal and data‑breach communication; district says it notified parents in January
Summary
Shelby County Schools presented a one‑year renewal with PowerSchool Group LLC and discussed a recent PowerSchool data breach; district staff said they notified parents in January and plan further communication but reported no on‑the‑record complaints of identity misuse in the transcript.
Shelby County Schools staff recommended approval of a one‑year renewal with PowerSchool Group LLC on a contract totalling $2,399,542.58, and board members used the item to press staff about a recent PowerSchool data breach and the district’s parent communications.
The district recommended continuing use of PowerSchool SIS, PowerSchool Unified Enrollment and other PowerSchool products as a single‑source vendor. Interim Superintendent Richmond and district staff said the recommendation is for a one‑year renewal to continue student information, enrollment, and talent systems; the staff presentation described PowerSchool as an approved single‑source vendor.
Board members asked whether parents had been notified and whether any families had reported compromised information. Mr. White told the board, “The district did send out communication in January when we were notified. We are continuing to work with PowerSchool on additional notification, and I do think that we, as a district, need to, do some additional communication.” Deputy chief staff and legal staff also said they were not aware of calls or complaints from parents reporting identity misuse when asked during the meeting.
Board members asked what contingency plans exist if PowerSchool were to become unavailable. District staff described the difficulty of replacing a student information system, saying a conversion could take about two years and that, at least temporarily, the district would have to resort to “fairly rudimentary methods” such as attendance notebooks and paper records.
Why it matters: PowerSchool holds core student records and data; the board’s questions focused on parent notification and continuity of operations in the event of vendor problems.
Next steps and vote: The transcript shows the contract recommendation and discussion; the provided portion of the transcript does not record a final roll‑call vote on this item.
