MANCHESTER, NH—

A company that provides software to schools across New Hampshire says student and teacher data was accessed in a recent breach.

The company PowerSchool said the hacked software processed a wide range of information, from attendance and grades to family and health records.

PowerSchool said it learned of the breach on Dec. 28. The New Hampshire Department of Education said it is monitoring the situation and takes all cybersecurity incidents seriously, particularly those involving student data.

The DOE said many school districts across the state use the software. One of the affected school districts is Somersworth, where the superintendent sent a message home to families on Tuesday.

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In a statement to News 9, a PowerSchool spokesperson said, in part:

“We have taken all appropriate measures to prevent further unauthorized access or misuse of the affected data. The incident has been contained and we do not expect the data to be shared or made public.”

Jason Sgro, senior partner and cybersecurity expert at Atom Group, said hackers who steal student data can often keep it for years.

“Students actually have a very long period of time in which they can use this information to exploit more traditional fraud. I’m talking about identity theft, credit card theft,” Sgro said.

Sgro said PowerSchool has been transparent so far about its response to the breach and its work with local districts.

He advises families to participate in an identity protection program to monitor how their children’s information is used.

“The data will not be returned; “We can’t do anything to get the data back once it’s stolen, but monitoring fraudulent use of that data in the future is one of the most important things these families can do now,” Sgro said.

In a letter to affected districts, PowerSchool said it would provide credit monitoring and identity protection for adults and minors who may be affected.

It’s unclear how many schools across the state may be affected.