St. Paul Schools sends notice of "data security incident"
ST. PAUL, Minn. — St. Paul Public Schools reports that a recent "data security incident" may have led to unauthorized access to student data, though it's not yet clear how many students were affected.
Late last week, the district informed parents that they were working with the FBI, along with Minnesota IT Services and the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, to investigate the incident.
The district reports they are unaware of any fraudulent use of student data at this point. They don't have any evidence that things like physical addresses, social security numbers or any payment card information was accessed by outside parties.
The district proactively provided its students with new passwords late last week.
"SPPS sincerely regrets any concern or inconvenience this matter may cause, and remains dedicated to ensuring the privacy and security of all information in our control," St. Paul Public Schools Executive Director of Technology Services Mario McHenry said.
The timing of the breach is somewhat ironic, as the first-ever statewide cybersecurity plan is being rolled out Tuesday, comprised of nearly $24 million in state and federal tax dollars. The plan aims to solidify online defenses at more than 3,000 government entities.
Officials anticipate a four-year timeline for statewide synergy, including distributing the millions of dollars in grants.
