Personal data of 70,000 Island students stolen in PowerSchool breach [Video]

Tens of thousands of current and former Prince Edward Island students, in addition to teachers and staff, had their personal data compromised in a cyberattack earlier this month that affected educational institutions across the country.

On Jan. 7, an unauthorized user gained access to PowerSchool, a data management system used by schools across the Island.

The ongoing investigation has determined that data from around 70,000 students was accessed, with the oldest records involved dating back to 2003, the provincial government said in a news release.

“Approximately 67 per cent of the students whose data was accessed are no longer in the K-12 system,” the release reads.

The province said the compromised information varies but may include names, birth dates, gender, grade level, school enrolment dates, medical information, home contact details, custody arrangements and discipline comments.

Records of teachers and staff dating back to 2021 were also accessed.

This data includes names, employee IDs, job titles, school names, and email addresses. In …