State-level data breach of student records
Dear WUSD Families:
The District was recently notified of a data security incident involving Educational Testing Service (ETS), the nonprofit contractor that provides state- and federal-required testing to all students enrolled in California public schools. According to information provided by California Department of Education (CDE) and ETS, unauthorized access to student records was identified on Sept. 25, 2026. The incident affected data associated with California public school students enrolled during the 2023-24 school year through the current school year, regardless of whether a student participated in state testing. This breach occurred at the state level, and not through any of our local systems.
What information was involved?
The compromised records may include student information such as:
Student name and date of birth
Home address
School, district, and grade level
Statewide identifier
Student gender, ethnicity, and primary language
English learner status, disability status, eligibility status for Title I, etc., and English language proficiency
The data did not include:
Social Security numbers
Driver’s license numbers or passport numbers
Financial accounts or payment cards
Passwords
Parent/guardian personal information (with the exception of home address)
Is my student impacted?
ETS, at the direction of CDE, is notifying affected students and families whose information was accessed and copied during the incident. If you receive a notification letter and/or email about the incident, this means your and/or your student’s information was included in the files which were accessed and copied. However, CDE states that just because you haven’t received a direct notification, doesn’t mean your student’s data was not compromised.
What can you do now?
Identify protection: As a precaution, ETS is offering two years of complimentary credit monitoring and identity protection services through Experian Identity Works for all affected students.
• For minors, enroll at: www.experianidworks.com/minorplus
• For adults, 18 and older, enroll at: www.experianidworks.com/identity
Questions and More Information
ETS has established resources to answer questions and provide additional information about the incident, including enrollment information for identity protection services.
For answers to frequently asked questions and additional details about the incident visit: www.cde.ca.gov/ets.
For questions about the incident, please call 833-931-8488, Monday – Friday, 6 a.m. to 6
p.m. Pacific Time. If you have a speech or hearing impairment and use a TTY, please call 711. Please provide your engagement number: B174774 for students under 18 or B174775 for students 18 or over
Additional information from the CDE can be found here: https://www.cde.ca.gov/nr/in/ets-incident.asp
We understand that news of a data security incident involving student information is very concerning. While this did not occur within our district's systems, this is a reminder for all of us to stay vigilant when it comes to cybersecurity. Protecting you and your student’s personally identifiable information is a top priority at WUSD.
Your Windsor Unified School District Team