The Newfoundland and Labrador government has modified its Kindergarten registration process for the 2027-28 school year in response to a privacy review, a move that will delay sign-up for families on the Avalon Peninsula while the system is adjusted.
Changes follow privacy commissioner's recommendations
Parents in central and western Newfoundland and in Labrador were able to register children in May, but the provincial Education Department has paused registration on the Avalon while it removes some data fields from its online enrolment system. The changes follow a report from privacy commissioner Kerry Hatfield reviewing a 2024 security breach of PowerSchool — the data-management software used across the province's K-to-12 system.
"We had to take out some information and tweak the system so that it didn't collect it," Education Minister Paul Dinn told CBC Radio’s The St. John’s Morning Show. "Right now, I'm confident that we'll be all good now starting in October."
Hatfield's report recommended the province stop collecting Medical Care Plan (MCP) numbers as part of the registration process. The 2024 breach of PowerSchool potentially exposed names, addresses, MCP information and other details belonging to 285,158 people, according to the report.
What families need to know
The government has not announced a specific reopening date for Avalon registrations, but Education Minister Dinn indicated the province aims to restart the process in October once the system changes are in place.
- Regions already opened: central and western Newfoundland, Labrador — registrations occurred in May.
- Avalon Peninsula: registration delayed pending system changes; new date to be set.
- What’s being removed: the province has said it is removing certain information fields, including MCP numbers, from the registration form.
The Education Department has said the registration process will otherwise be largely unchanged for parents once it reopens. Officials have framed the alteration as a straightforward technical tweak intended to bring the system into compliance with the privacy commissioner’s guidance.
Background: the PowerSchool breach
PowerSchool, the third-party student-information system used by the province, was the target of a 2024 cyber incident that Hatfield characterised as a "significant breach." The review found that personal details for tens of thousands of students, parents and staff may have been exposed, which prompted the privacy commissioner to recommend tighter limits on what personal data the school system should collect and retain.
Government documents and public comments since the breach indicate officials have been working to address the commissioner's recommendations, including identifying which data fields are necessary for school administration and which can be eliminated or handled differently to reduce risk.
Local impact and practical considerations
For many families on the Avalon, the delay is an unwelcome wrinkle in an annual routine that typically begins months earlier in the year. Registration timelines affect child-care plans, kindergarten readiness programming and parental planning for work and family schedules.
Parents unsure of their status or seeking guidance are being advised to watch for official communications from the provincial Education Department and local school boards. Once the registration portal reopens, families should be prepared to provide the usual documentation required for Kindergarten enrolment, excluding the MCP number the province has agreed to stop collecting.
Questions remain
Officials have not yet released a detailed timeline for the Avalon reopening nor a full breakdown of which specific fields were removed beyond the MCP recommendation. The government’s assurance that changes will be complete by October will be judged against the practical rollout and communications that follow.
As Newfoundland and Labrador moves to balance the administrative needs of its school system with the privacy concerns raised by the PowerSchool incident, parents and privacy advocates will be watching closely for how the government implements the recommendations and safeguards personal information going forward.
