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Parent raises alarm over student Social Security numbers in district database
Summary
A parent told the St. Johns County School Board that students' Social Security numbers are stored in the district's student information system and urged the district to stop sharing them with a global vendor; the board pledged a staff follow-up.
A St. Johns County parent told the school board that his children's Social Security numbers were exposed after the district shared data with a third-party student information system and asked the district to stop sending Social Security numbers to that vendor.
Justin McNabb, a parent of students at St. Augustine High School and Sebastian Middle School, said at the public-comment portion of the board's meeting that he received an email informing him that his children's Social Security numbers were hacked. “I don't recall signing anything that give my kids Social Security number to a… global student information system,” McNabb said. He asked why the district could not use a locally issued student ID number instead of Social Security numbers to identify students in PowerSchool.
The comment followed a brief exchange with Superintendent Tim Forsen, who told McNabb that a staff member would speak with him after the meeting to “share with you the steps we've taken and the vulnerabilities that exist.” Forsen also acknowledged the modern realities of cybersecurity risks and said staff would follow up.
McNabb said the district's offer of credit monitoring — which he described in the meeting — is insufficient to prevent identity theft because monitoring does not block new accounts. “What are we gonna do to protect our kids from their information getting hacked?” he asked.
The board did not take formal action during the meeting; Forsen indicated staff would follow up with McNabb to explain what data were shared with the vendor and what mitigation steps the district is taking.
The public-comment record shows the district heard concerns about the scope of data shared with PowerSchool and whether Social Security numbers remain necessary on active student records. The transcript of the meeting records that district staff promised to provide more information but does not contain a timeline or specific next steps.
The matter remains a staff follow-up rather than a board decision; the district did not announce any immediate change to data-sharing practice during the meeting.
