Recently, some parents and students have noticed official emails arriving in student school accounts regarding court-ordered class action lawsuit settlements (such as the Google Web App Activity or the Naviance/PowerSchool settlements). It is completely understandable that receiving unexpected legal correspondence can cause concern. The information below outlines the district’s role, why these messages are being sent, and guidance on how your family can proceed.
The District’s Role and Data Security
Please know that the school district is completely uninvolved in these lawsuits, nor does the district initiate or authorize these communications. These legal actions are brought against third-party technology vendors independently of our school system.
Furthermore, these settlements are typically reached without any admission of wrongdoing or data breaches by the vendors. In most cases there is no active data breach affecting our district’s internal records, and therefore the district is not required to file data incident reports. Any time there is a confirmed release or breach of students’ personally identifiable information (PII), the district will notify the parents of affected students. Settlement administrators are simply executing a court order to notify anyone who may have used those specific vendor platforms.
Why Students Are Being Contacted Directly
Under federal class-action rules, notice must be sent directly to the specific account holders who utilized the platform, which includes students who accessed these tools for educational purposes.
The district recognizes that receiving legal notices in student accounts can cause concern. K-12 student email addresses are intended for educational use, and the district continuously monitors outside access to ensure compliance with New York State Education Law Section 2-d. Because these third-party notifications are driven by federal court mandates, the communication must be sent to the address that was used to create the account for each third-party service.
Guidelines for Families and Next Steps
Because these lawsuits are independent legal matters handled exclusively by outside settlement administrators and the federal court system, the district and NYSED cannot provide legal advice or guidance on whether your family should participate, opt out, or file a claim.
We recommend taking the following steps:
- Verify the source: Ensure the email is legitimate by checking the official settlement website listed in the notice (such as those managed by authorized administrators like Kroll or Epiq).
- Review the details: Carefully read the eligibility criteria and deadlines provided in the notice.
- Decide independently: Families should make an independent decision – potentially with advice from their own legal counsel – based on what they feel is best for their household.
School staff members are not equipped to advise on these external legal proceedings and will direct all parent inquiries to this informational page to ensure consistent communication across the district.