Information Regarding Naviance Class Action Settlement
This page is designed to provide additional context after some members of our school community received an email notice related to a recent legal settlement involving the PowerSchool Naviance platform, a web-based college and career readiness platform used by our school counseling department.
What is the notice you may have received?
Some families received a legally-required email from Kroll Settlement Administration regarding a proposed class action settlement related to the Naviance Platform. The case is pending in federal court in Chicago and is titled Q.J. v. PowerSchool Holdings LLC, et al., No. 1:23-cv-05689. That email is legitimate, valid, and informational. It was sent as part of a court-approved notification process to ensure that students and, if they are minors, their parents and legal guardians are aware that they may be entitled to payment from a class action settlement, have the opportunity to review the settlement and are informed of their legal rights and options.
Why was there a settlement?
Plaintiff Q.J. sued PowerSchool and other defendants in a class action for their alleged roles in the alleged non-consensual interception of students’ confidential and sensitive communications while using Naviance. The Defendants deny these allegations and that they violated any law.
In a class action, one or more people called the Class Representative(s) (in this case, Q.J.) sue on behalf of a group or a “Class” of people who have similar claims. In a class action, the Court resolves the issues for all Class members, except for those who exclude themselves from the Class.
The Court has not decided whether the Plaintiff or the Defendants should win this case. Instead, both sides agreed to a settlement. That way, they avoid the uncertainties and expenses associated with ongoing litigation.
- The Settlement does NOT mean that someone hacked your data from Naviance.
- There has been no court determination of any wrongdoing; the parties have chosen to settle the class’s claims.
PowerSchool’s response to the settlement
PowerSchool understands that students and parents may have questions and encourages them to contact the court-appointed Settlement Administrator (contact information below). PowerSchool is committed to protecting student information and following applicable student privacy laws, including FERPA and COPPA, and continues to invest in strong privacy and governance practices.
You can learn more about PowerSchool’s approach to data protection by reviewing its global privacy statement: https://www.powerschool.com/privacy/
What should families do next?
If you received the Settlement notice, we encourage you to review the information provided in that notice carefully as it informs you of your legal rights.
Questions?
If you have questions or concerns, you may contact the Settlement Administrator as follows:
Call: (833) 447-8852
Write : Use the “Contact Us” form on the settlement website.
Mail:
Q.J. v. PowerSchool Holdings LLC
c/o Kroll Settlement Administration LLC
PO Box 225391
New York, NY 10150-5391