WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – Student names, birthdates, school grades, test scores and more could be compromised due to a statewide data breach of a private software company called PowerSchool.

The company is a hub for essential data on students, teachers, and staff in North Carolina Public Schools.

The State Department of Public Instruction says hackers compromised the credentials of a contract employee to access the data.

The state says PowerSchool is still looking into what information the hackers accessed.

We know tonight the state notified Pender County Schools that none of the system’s data was included in this breach. Administrators at other school systems say they were told they do not need to take any technical steps right now because of the breach.

Parents can take steps to protect their child’s private information at home.

If you suspect your child’s information has been used, check to see if they have a credit report.

Children under 18 years old typically don’t have credit reports. Some may have a credit report if they’re authorized users on their parent’s credit card, it could be due to an error from a Credit Agency, and lastly, it could be someone using their identity,

Thieves typically target children’s social security numbers because they have no credit blemishes and the fraudulent activity may go unchecked for years because they typically wouldn’t need credit.

A cybercrime expert believes hackers, in this case, might not have been targeting children.

“The hackers targeted weak systems. There is the mechanism by which these groups identify their targets and it’s always the slowest Zebra in the herd”, says Terry Rankhorn, Cybersecurity expert and founder of Rankhorn Associates.

Rankhorn says they didn’t target children because they don’t have too many assets to utilize, they targeted a weak spot in a system, in this case, PowerSchool. It’s called ransomware attacks. He says the data would only be deleted based on the word of the hackers. And there is nothing stopping them from asking for more ransom after getting rid of data.

Rankhorn does describe what hackers could do with your child’s information.

“You just can’t walk into a bank and make up a name and social security number and open a bank account. What you can do is open a bank account with real information from real people. Likely that’s what they’d be doing, in conjunction with the fact, they can use your personal details when they’re arrested so they can obscure their identity and be released”, says Rankhorn.

Rankhorn says students, parents, and teachers could be victims of zero-fault victimization because they needed to give information and it wasn’t properly protected.

Here’s what parents can do to help their children:

1. Check their credit report, if there is anything unusual, contact the credit bureau immediately.

2. Consider buying a credit monitoring product, that will track their reports, allow you to freeze their credit, and send you alerts. It’s important to know credit monitoring products cost a monthly fee.

Several Public Schools in our area have shared a statement regarding the data breach.

Pender County:

“Pender County Schools has received confirmation from PowerSchool that we were not impacted by the recent data breach involving their platform. According to an email from PowerSchool Communications, their forensic investigation determined that the incident did not affect any information related to our district.”

Brunswick County:

“The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction has informed all school districts that no immediate technical actions are required. NCDPI is collaborating with PowerSchool to identify the affected instances and determine which data fields were compromised. PowerSchool will also continue to provide communication materials for parents and the community.”

New Hanover County:

“Dear Parents and Guardians,

I hope this message finds you well. I want to share some important information about our student information system (SIS). Recently, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (DPI) informed us of a data breach involving PowerSchool, the company that manages our SIS data. PowerSchool serves as the official student information system for all public and charter schools across North Carolina, storing and managing critical information about students, staff, and families.

We understand this news may cause concern. While we are still gathering details about the breach, we have been informed that the incident was caused by administrative tools to which only PowerSchool has access. It is important to note that no actions by DPI or individual schools could have prevented this incident.

We are actively working with DPI and PowerSchool to assess the full extent of this nationwide breach and to identify any necessary steps to safeguard our community’s information.

The safety, privacy, and well-being of our students, staff, and families remain our highest priorities. We are committed to transparency and will provide updates as soon as additional information becomes available.

Thank you for your understanding, trust, and patience as we navigate this situation.

Sincerely, Christopher R. Barnes, Ed.D. Interim Superintendent New Hanover County Schools”

We will continue to follow this story for any more updates.

Copyright 2025 WECT. All rights reserved.

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – North Carolina’s attorney general says six landlords operating in the state – including two with properties in southeast North Carolina – are colluding together to illegally raise rent prices.

On Tuesday, Jeff Jackson filed a lawsuit alongside nine other states, targeting the landlords and RealPage, a software company that the AG said uses artificial intelligence software to tell companies the rent they should be charging.

“It’s impacting tens of thousands of people across the state, at least 70,000 people, who are renting apartments,” Jackson told WECT Wednesday.

The lawsuit mentions Greystar and Willow Brook, two companies with a presence in the Cape Fear. Greystar has 12 properties in the region across New Hanover and Brunswick Counties. Among them are The Range On Oleander, Element Barclay and City Block. Willow Bridge oversees two complexes: Bellingham Park and Crosswinds Apartments, both in Wilmington.

Comment requests for RealPage and Willow Brook were both not returned.

A Greystar corporate spokesperson referred WECT to the following statement: “We are disappointed that the DOJ added us and other operators to their lawsuit against RealPage. Greystar has and will conduct its business with the utmost integrity. At no time did Greystar engage in any anti-competitive practices. We will vigorously defend ourselves in this lawsuit.”

What the companies are allegedly doing digitally would be illegal if it was done in-person, Jackson said.

“What they can do, in effect, is collude when it comes to prices,” he said. “And some have given quotes that are absolutely egregious.”

Elizabeth Wilson, who rents at The Range, said she’s concerned about already-high rent prices in the region, and how the companies’ alleged behavior can impact that.

“We have a 2-year-old son, and to think that if they raise the rent, you get kicked out, what do you do? And then before you know it, you’re scrambling and you’re living with your parents, and that’s scary. Who wants to do that” she said.

The lawsuit is built on a previous one filed by Jackson’s predecessor, Josh Stein, back in August, which alleged RealPage was raising rent prices illegally. Jackson believes the suit can continue to grow, with North Carolina at the center of it.

“Our primary goal is to stop illegal behavior that is raising rents for thousands of North Carolinians, and I think we can accomplish that,” he said.

Copyright 2025 WECT. All rights reserved.

On his way out of office, in 2024, one of Governor Roy Cooper’s initiatives was to establish a new department inside N.C.’s Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR): the North Carolina Music Office. 

One of the office’s first projects, created through DNCR program Come Hear NC, is Shaped by Sound, a new PBS series on North Carolina’s music. Over thirteen episodes, Shaped by Sound will look at a wide range of artists from Wilmington to Asheville, in genres ranging from R&B to country-rock legacy. Featured artists include legacy acts like Superchunk, Reuben Vincent, and Alice Gerrard and newer acts like Sluice, Blue Cactus, and Sonny Miles. Other featured Triangle acts include Fancy Gap, Shirlette Ammons, and Mipso. 

“Our state is known for its rich musical legacy—John Coltrane, Doc Watson, Nina Simone, Etta Baker, and James Taylor, are just a tiny sliver of the greats who have called NC home,” says Stephanie Stewart, one-half of local duo Blue Cactus, “but it’s also a thriving, living legacy, and I’m thrilled to have a program like this that is devoted to shining a spotlight on it.” 

Only four other states have state-sponsored music offices like this. Its formation is an effort to celebrate the state’s rich musical history and bolster its creative economy. 

“The governor signed his executive order on June 21, which is International Make Music Day,” explains Kara Leinfelder, the director of business development at the NC Music Office, “We had a lot of communities across the state celebrating Make Music Day, which was led by the North Carolina Arts Council—it was a program to recognize and spotlight how important music is to North Carolina, its contemporary history and its past, and all the rich traditions that we have here.” 

While North Carolina boasts strong talent, the sector has struggled to regain its footing post-pandemic, with conditions increasingly difficult for artists and venues. Last month, J. Cole announced that 2025 would be the last year that he held Dreamville, a megawatt hip-hop festival that generated around $122 million for Wake County in 2024. 

The announcement marked the second recent major festival exit from the Tar Heel state’s capital: After many years in Raleigh, the IBMA Bluegrass Festival departed for Chattanooga, Tennessee, in 2024. (Raleigh Wide Open, a homegrown music festival from Raleigh nonprofit PineCone, will fill the bluegrass gap this next year.) 

Shaped by Sound premieres on February 6 with the spotlight trained on Iron & Wine’s Sam Beam, who lives in Durham. It will air on PBS North Carolina on Thursdays at 6:30 p.m., and will also be available across multiple platforms—pbsnc.org, the PBS app, and YouTube. A playlist of the show’s music can be heard here.

Stewart says she hopes the show will encourage people to turn out for live performances. 

“As an independent artist, being a part of something like this can have a significant impact in helping others in our home state, and potentially beyond, connect with our music,” she says. “I hope that folks who watch the program will discover some of their new favorite local artists and go see them live when they come touring through their towns.”

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Follow Culture Editor Sarah Edwards on Bluesky or email sedwards@indyweek.com.

Related