Baltimore City Public Schools -

On February 13, 2025, Baltimore City Public Schools experienced a cybersecurity incident affecting certain IT systems within our network. We promptly notified law enforcement, conducted an initial investigation, and took steps to confirm the security of our systems. Following a thorough investigation with the guidance of law enforcement and external cybersecurity experts, we have confirmed that certain documents may have been compromised by criminal actors, which contained information belonging to some current and former employees, volunteers, and contractors, as well as files related to less than 1.5% of our student population.

City Schools is committed to safeguarding the privacy and security of all personal information stored on our servers. City Schools sent notification letters to individuals who may have been impacted by this incident by U.S. Mail on April 22, 2025. We are providing impacted individuals complimentary access to credit monitoring services to help mitigate any potential for harm. More information on these services can be found in the notification letters received by impacted individuals. We have also established a call center to answer questions and help impacted individuals enroll in mitigation services.

Since the incident, we have also implemented a series of additional cybersecurity enhancements, including installation of endpoint detection and response software and resetting all passwords. We will continue to assess our procedures already in place and the results of the forensic audit for ways to defend against evolving threats.

City Schools deeply values the trust our students, families, and staff place in us to protect the privacy and security of their information. We regret any inconvenience or concern this incident may have caused.

Additional steps to help protect your information

The following includes best practices for safeguarding your information against misuse or fraud.

Review Personal Account Statements and Credit Reports: We recommend that you remain vigilant by reviewing personal account statements and monitoring credit reports to detect any errors or unauthorized activity. Under federal law, you also are entitled every 12 months to one free copy of your credit report from each of the three major credit reporting companies. To obtain a free annual credit report, go to www.annualcreditreport.com or call (877) 322-8228. You may wish to stagger your requests so that you receive a free report by one of the three credit bureaus every four months. If you discover any suspicious items, you should report any incorrect information on your report to the credit reporting agency. The names and contact information for the credit reporting agencies are:

Report Suspected Fraud: You have the right to file a police report if you ever experience identity fraud. Please note that in order to file a crime report or incident report with law enforcement for identity theft, you will likely need to provide some kind of proof that you have been a victim. A police report is often required to dispute fraudulent items. You should report suspected incidents of identity theft to local law enforcement, your state's Attorney General, and/or the Federal Trade Commission.

Place Fraud Alerts: A fraud alert tells businesses that check your credit that they should check with you before opening a new account. When you place a fraud alert, it will last one year. Fraud alerts will still be free and identity theft victims can still get an extended fraud alert for seven years. If you choose to place a fraud alert, we recommend you do this after activating your credit monitoring, in the case of individuals impacted by this incident. To place a fraud alert, contact the nationwide credit reporting agencies by phone or online. For more information, visit https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/.

Place a Security Freeze: Security freezes, also known as credit freezes, restrict access to your credit file, making it harder for identity thieves to open new accounts in your name. You can freeze and unfreeze your credit file for free. You also can get a free freeze for your children who are under 16. And if you are someone's guardian, conservator or have a valid power of attorney, you can get a free freeze for that person, too. To place a security freeze, contact the nationwide credit reporting agencies by phone or online. If you request a freeze online or by phone, the agency must place the freeze within one business day. If you request a lift of the freeze, the agency must lift it within one hour. If you make your request by mail, the agency must place or lift the freeze within three business days after it gets your request. You also can lift the freeze temporarily without a fee. Also, do not confuse freezes with locks. They work in a similar way, but locks may have monthly fees. If you want a free freeze guaranteed by federal law, then opt for a freeze, not a lock. For more information, visit https://consumer.ftc.gov/search-terms/credit-freeze.

Obtain additional information about the steps you can take to avoid identity theft from the following entities:

• All U.S. Residents: The Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) offers consumer assistance and educational materials relating to identity theft, privacy issues, and how to avoid identity theft. You may also obtain information about fraud alerts and security freezes from the consumer reporting agencies, your state Attorney General, and the FTC. If you detect any incident of identity theft or fraud, promptly report the incident to your local law enforcement authorities, your state Attorney General, and/or the Federal Trade Commission ("FTC"). You can learn more about how to protect yourself from becoming an identity theft victim (including how to place a fraud alert or security freeze) by contacting the FTC at 1-877-IDTHEFT (1-877-438-4338) or https://consumer.ftc.gov/features/identity-theft. The mailing address for the FTC is:

Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Response Center
600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20580