Okemos superintendent to bring PowerSchool authorization to board after vendor offered identity protection

Superintendent Hood told trustees he will present a board authorization at the Nov. 24 meeting to opt the district into litigation related to a PowerSchool data incident, noting that if the district does nothing it could be automatically included as a client in the company’s legal process.

District staff clarified that PowerSchool acknowledged the incident and sent letters and emails directly to affected families and students. Staff said the vendor provided a code and enrollment instructions for free identity-fraud protection for a limited period (staff recalled the offer covering one to two years) and that Social Security numbers were not stored in the district’s PowerSchool records.

Trustees asked whether PowerSchool offered paid protections or direct remediation; staff said the identity-protection enrollment was provided at no charge for the stated period and that they would bring more detailed documentation to the board. Hood said administration does not expect that seeking authorization to participate in a lawsuit would prevent future district relationships with the vendor, noting PowerSchool’s business depends on serving school districts.

The superintendent asked trustees to submit questions in advance so staff can prepare answers and said the authorization to act on litigation would appear as an action item on the Nov. 24 agenda.