Henry County Schools Final Notice of Data Privacy Event

November 15, 2024

Henry County Schools (“HCS”) is providing notice of an event that may impact the privacy of some personal information. This notice provides information about the event, our response, and resources available to help protect individuals’ information, should they feel it is appropriate to do so.

As we previously shared publicly, during the week of November 6, 2023, HCS became aware of suspicious activity impacting our network operations. In response, HCS promptly reported the event to law enforcement and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency. In tandem, HCS engaged third-party cybersecurity specialists to assist in investigating and confirming the nature, source, scope, and potential impacts of the event. Through the investigation, HCS determined it was the victim of a ransomware attack initiated by a criminal group, and determined that an unauthorized actor may have copied certain files from our network.

Between November 2023 and June 2024, HCS conducted a comprehensive review of the data with the assistance of an external data mining team, and through the review, identified that the affected information may include name, Social Security number, driver’s license or state identification number, financial account information, and username and password. Due to the nature and scope of data potentially impacted, we were unable directly correlate accurate address information for all individuals in order to deliver individualized notification letters regarding this event. We have continually updated our school community along the way, culminating in a final public announcement during a July 2024 Board of Education meeting.

However, as part of HCS’s ongoing commitment to the security of information, we continue to review and enhance our procedures and practices regarding information security, and additional safeguards have been implemented and invested in by our Board of Education to reduce the likelihood of a similar event in the future.

We encourage you to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud by reviewing your account statements and monitoring your free credit reports for suspicious activity and to detect errors. You can find more information about obtaining a free copy of your credit report, protecting against potential identity theft and fraud, and other resources available in the below Steps Individuals Can Take To Help Protect Personal Information.

If you have questions or concerns, please contact our dedicated assistance line at 855-286-0230, from 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday. You can also write to HCS at attn: Superintendent’s Office, Henry County Schools, 33 N. Zack Hinton Parkway, McDonough, GA 30253.

Sincerely,

Henry County Schools 

Steps Individuals Can Take to Help Protect Personal Information

Monitor Your Accounts

Under U.S. law, a consumer is entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.  To order your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228.  You may also directly contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below to request a free copy of your credit report.

Consumers have the right to place an initial or extended “fraud alert” on a credit file at no cost.  An initial fraud alert is a 1-year alert that is placed on a consumer’s credit file.  Upon seeing a fraud alert display on a consumer’s credit file, a business is required to take steps to verify the consumer’s identity before extending new credit.  If you are a victim of identity theft, you are entitled to an extended fraud alert, which is a fraud alert lasting seven years.  Should you wish to place a fraud alert, please contact any one of the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below.

As an alternative to a fraud alert, consumers have the right to place a “credit freeze” on a credit report, which will prohibit a credit bureau from releasing information in the credit report without the consumer’s express authorization.  The credit freeze is designed to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in your name without your consent.  However, you should be aware that using a credit freeze to take control over who gets access to the personal and financial information in your credit report may delay, interfere with, or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application you make regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, or any other account involving the extension of credit.  Pursuant to federal law, you cannot be charged to place or lift a credit freeze on your credit report.  To request a security freeze, you will need to provide the following information:

1. Full name (including middle initial as well as Jr., Sr., II, III, etc.);
2. Social Security number;
3. Date of birth;
4. Addresses for the prior two to five years;
5. Proof of current address, such as a current utility bill or telephone bill;
6. A legible photocopy of a government-issued identification card (state driver’s license or ID card, etc.); and
7. A copy of either the police report, investigative report, or complaint to a law enforcement agency concerning identity theft if you are a victim of identity theft.

Should you wish to place a credit freeze, please contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below:

Additional Information

You may further educate yourself regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, credit freezes, and the steps you can take to protect your personal information by contacting the consumer reporting bureaus, the Federal Trade Commission, or your state Attorney General.  The Federal Trade Commission may be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20580; www.identitytheft.gov; 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); and TTY: 1-866-653-4261.  The Federal Trade Commission also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them.  You can obtain further information on how to file such a complaint by way of the contact information listed above.  You have the right to file a police report if you ever experience identity theft or fraud.  Please note that in order to file a report with law enforcement for identity theft, you will likely need to provide some proof that you have been a victim.  Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement and your state Attorney General.  This notice has not been delayed by law enforcement.