Recently, reports began to emerge about a data breach at Southern Association of Independent Schools, Inc. (“SAIS”). While reports of the breach have not yet been confirmed by SAIS, if substantiated, the incident could impact the confidential information of a significant number of students, teachers and others. If, after completing an investigation, SAIS determines that confidential consumer data was leaked, the organization will likely begin sending out data breach notification letters to all individuals whose information was affected by the recent data security incident.

If you receive a data breach notification from Southern Association of Independent Schools, Inc., it is essential you understand what is at risk and what you can do about it. A data breach lawyer can help you learn more about how to protect yourself from becoming a victim of fraud or identity theft as well as discuss your legal options following the potential SAIS data breach. For more information, please see our recent piece on the topic here.

What Caused the Potential SAIS Breach?

The possible SAIS data breach was only recently announced, and more information is expected in the near future. However, on July 30, 2023, databreaches.net reported that Cybersecurity Researcher Jeremiah Fowler detected a non-password protected database containing 680k records. When he looked into what that database contained, it became clear that the records were related to various educational institutions. And, while there is not any confirmation that the breach was of SAIS’ computer network, documents inside the database suggested that it belonged to SAIS.

Evidently, the documents were dated between 2012 and 2023, and contained various student and teacher records, Social Security numbers, health information, teacher background checks and active shooter and lockdown notifications, maps of schools, financial budgets, and more.

Databreaches.net has since reached out to SAIS; however, at the time of this article’s publication, SAIS had not provided a response.

If and when SAIS validates the breach, the organization will then need to conduct an investigation to determine who was affected. Once this is complete, it is likely that SAIS will send out data breach letters to anyone who was affected by the recent data security incident. These letters should provide victims with a list of what information belonging to them was compromised.

More Information About Southern Association of Independent Schools, Inc.

Founded in 1953, the Southern Association of Independent Schools, Inc. is an educational organization based in Norcross, Georgia. SAIS addresses issues of importance to non-public schools, such as organizational excellence, accreditation, curriculum, and professional growth opportunities. Over 390 independent K-12 schools from 16 states are members of SAIS. In total, SAIS represents over 227,000 students. SAIS employs more than 280 people and generates approximately $36 million in annual revenue.