BHSD228 Families and Students,
On Tuesday afternoon, our Student Information System vendor PowerSchool notified our District that we may be among the many PowerSchool clients worldwide whose data may have been accessed during a cybersecurity incident. On Wednesday at 2PM, we attended a detailed PowerSchool debrief about the data breach.
While PowerSchool is responsible for this incident and its impact, Bremen High School District 228 is committed to protecting our student, staff and family data and is committed to communicating with transparency about this incident. We are providing the information we currently have and as more specific information becomes available we will share it.
What happened?
According to PowerSchool, someone used a compromised PowerSchool credential to access an internal PowerSchool system that is intended for supporting their clients through a maintenance connection to individual district PowerSchool systems. When PowerSchool became aware of the incident on December 28, 2024, they notified law enforcement, locked down the system, and engaged the services of CrowdStrike (a cybersecurity company that develops software to help companies detect and prevent cyberattacks) and Cyber Steward (a professional advisor with experience in negotiating with threat actors).
What data could have been accessed?
District 228 has not received specific details about the extent in which D228 faculty and student information was accessed and they have assured us that further analysis of our particular situation will be shared in the weeks ahead. Information accessed may include demographic and contact information, including names, addresses, and phone numbers as well as some limited health information for some students. District 228 does not collect or retain student or staff SSNs in PowerSchool and to our knowledge, no financial information was included in the data breach.
PowerSchool states that they have received “reasonable assurances from the threat actor that the data has been deleted and that no additional copies exist. We do not anticipate the data being shared or made public, and we believe it has been deleted without any further replication or dissemination. We have a video confirming deletion and are actively searching the dark web to confirm.”
What happens next?
PowerSchool has stated that the incident is contained, and they have no evidence of malware or continued unauthorized activity in the PowerSchool environment. They are not experiencing, nor expect to experience, any operational disruption and they continue to provide services as normal to school districts.
Although PowerSchool has assured us that the risk of data dissemination or misuse is low, we remain vigilant and are leveraging all available resources to thoroughly assess the situation and strengthen the protection of our systems.
Communication and Transparency
District 228 personnel will continue to work with our PowerSchool representative and we will share relevant information as it becomes available to us.
District 228's Operation Snowball is having a fundraiser at Portillos in Tinley Park on January 16th from 5-8pm! Save the date! Details can be seen below.
Happy New Year! We hope you have a great 2025!
From all of us here in Bremen High School District 228, have a wonderful winter break! See you back here in 2025!
Congratulations to our semester 1 keepers of the light! Our keepers of the light go above and beyond in their school/community. We had a wonderful evening recognizing and celebrating all of their hard work!
Our Bremen Excel students put on a wonderful holiday performance for district staff last week! About 50 students put in hours of hard work, filled with fun and laughter to prepare choreography for the big day! Bonus: Santa stopped by to say hello!
Check out the final days of school schedule for semester 1 below!
Big congratulations to Nick Strache and the Oak Forest Culver’s team! They just made history by landing in the Top 5 of the Culver’s Crew Challenge— and they did it in their first year! How impressive is that?
Nick, a proud Bremen High School grad, is really making an impact in the community. His team includes over 20 Oak Forest High School students, and he’s always involved in local fundraisers and events.
The Culver’s Crew Challenge highlights top-notch service and hospitality. Best of luck to them as they head to Dallas in February to compete for the grand prize! We’re rooting for you!
Tinley Park High School’s own Sarah Anderson-Stewart has earned a spot in the ILMEA All-District Choir! Out of 2,500 auditions across Northeast Illinois, Sarah stood out as one of only 250 selected. Her hard work, passion for music, and dedication to excellence continue to inspire. Congratulations, Sarah!
Read more about Sarah's awesome accomplishment by visiting our website: https://tinley.bhsd228.com/o/tphs
Hillcrest High School junior Da'Jha Johnson was recently recognized by the Chicago Bears as one of the top 56 flag football players in the state! The honor, awarded during a special dinner at Halas Hall, celebrated her impressive performance in the first-ever IHSA-sanctioned girls flag football season and her dedication as a student-athlete.
Read more about her amazing accomplishment here: https://www.bhsd228.com/article/1911862
A big congratulations to Tinley Park High School's Assistant Track and Field Coach, Nick Johnston, for being named the Illinois Track and Cross Country Coaches Association (ITCCCA) Assistant Coach Award recipient! We are so proud!
Take a moment to read a bit about this outstanding accomplishment: https://tinley.bhsd228.com/o/tphs/article/1909300
From all of us at Bremen High School District 228, Happy Thanksgiving!
All D228 buildings will be closed Today, November 28th, and Friday, November 29th.
Bremen High School hosted the annual Excel Thanksgiving Feast on November 21st! Our wonderful students put in hard work cooking and preparing all of decorations for the event. The party was a blast for everyone who attended!
Please consider supporting Bremen High School's 40th Annual Community Food Drive by making a financial donation as we continue to work to support our local food pantries.
Consider making a donation by visiting this link: https://tinyurl.com/5t3bvfsd
🎉 BIG NEWS! The Bremen High School Marching Band is making history with their first-ever performance in the 2024 Chicago Thanksgiving Parade! 🥁✨ Catch our 65 talented students live downtown or tune in on Pluto TV from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day. Let’s cheer them on as they shine on this incredible stage! 🌟 #BremenBraves #ThanksgivingParade2024
Read more about this amazing opportunity by visiting our website: https://www.bhsd228.com/article/1894308
Be sure to check out Oak Forest High School's 22nd annual Madrigals! See more details below!
November 15 – School Board Members Day – is our opportunity to thank the
school board members of Bremen High School District 228 and give them the recognition they have earned for providing a local voice for our community’s education decisions! #ThankABoardMember
For the past four decades, Bremen High Schools' National Honor Society (NHS) and Student Council have come together each fall to organize a community-wide food drive, collecting non-perishable items to support local food pantries in the community. Since its inception in 1985, the Bremen community food drive has collected nearly 400,000 pounds of non-perishable donations. This year marks the 40th anniversary of this tradition!!
Key dates:
November 11th-15th: Donation bag delivery
November 18th-22nd: Donation bag pick up & repacking
Saturday, November 23rd: Donation delivery day
Learn more about how you can get involved by visiting our website: https://bremen.bhsd228.com/o/bhs/article/1873873
Dear District 228 Community,
It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of a tragic incident that occurred in the back parking lot of Hillcrest High School on Saturday, November 9th. During a junior high boys' basketball tournament held that afternoon, a parent attending the game from a neighboring community became a victim of gun violence.
Our deepest condolences go out to the family, loved ones, and all those affected by this heartbreaking event. The incident is currently under investigation, and we are fully cooperating with law enforcement. As this remains an active police matter, we are unable to share further details at this time. We respectfully ask that any inquiries be directed to the Country Club Hills Police Department.
The safety and well-being of our students, staff, and community continue to be our highest priority. Counselors and support resources are available for anyone in need during this difficult time.
Thank you for your compassion and understanding as we navigate through this challenging moment together.
District 228 Administration
Oak Forest High School hosted Future Bengal's Night on Thursday! The event was a huge success, inviting student basketball from Jack Hille and Arbor Park to face off in two different basketball games! Check out more details here: https://www.bhsd228.com/article/1865733
