The California Department of Education recently notified school districts statewide of a cybersecurity incident involving an external state testing vendor, Educational Testing Services (ETS), an independent third-party vendor contracted by the State of California to administer state assessments, such as the CAASPP and ELPAC. It is important to note that Hemet Unified School District’s internal networks, school databases, and student record systems remain secure and were not compromised.

This incident occurred exclusively on an external ETS file-transfer server. According to state officials, no highly sensitive information, such as Social Security numbers, banking details, home addresses, or account passwords, was involved. The accessed files were limited to basic demographic information (names, dates of birth, gender, race/ethnicity, and English learner status) for students who took state tests over the past three school years.

Federal authorities and cybersecurity experts have found no evidence that any of this information has been shared or made public. However, out of an abundance of caution, ETS is providing two years of free Experian identity and dark-web monitoring for all affected current and former students. (Linked here: https://www.experianidworks.com/minorplus) Activation Code: RSWMV3F3N

For more detailed information, frequently asked questions (available in 27 languages), and instructions on how to enroll in free identity protection, please visit the official California Department of Education (CDE) resource page at: cde.ca.gov/ets 

HUSD will continue to monitor this statewide issue closely to ensure our families have access to the resources and support they need.