Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Student Privacy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Parent says multiple student-data breaches; asks Carmel board to enforce FERPA and hold administrators accountable
Summary
A Kent resident told the board she received a message sent as a group by a Carmel High School social worker that disclosed private evaluation information to dozens of parents; she also described two other breaches earlier in the school year and urged district action and accountability under FERPA.
Samantha Folling of the town of Kent used public comment time at the Oct. 21 Carmel Central School District board meeting to describe what she said were three separate incidents this school year in which student-sensitive information was distributed to groups of parents.
Folling said she received a ParentSquare message on Oct. 27 that was part of a group thread from a Carmel High School social worker and that the message was visible to 48 other parents, thereby exposing private information about her child and other students. She said the pattern includes earlier incidents in August and September and that the repetition raises questions about whether staff members understand and consistently follow federal privacy rules.
"Either those involved did not care, or they were too afraid to speak up," Folling said, adding that "neither of those possibilities is acceptable when we are talking about our children's rights, our trust, and federal privacy laws such as FERPA that are meant to protect students."
Board response and next steps: Trustees acknowledged the concern and thanked Folling for bringing it forward. Trustee Fuller apologized to parents affected and said the board takes any data breach "very seriously" and commended the superintendent for his handling of the issue. The superintendent and board noted that any corrective steps and staff accountability would be handled through appropriate administrative and investigative channels.
What the record shows: The speaker tied the issue explicitly to federal student-privacy protections (FERPA) and asked the superintendent and board to hold administrators accountable and to ensure all staff understand their legal and ethical duties to protect student data. The board did not announce specific disciplinary measures during the meeting but committed to follow administrative procedures and to address training and reporting concerns.
Evidence: Folling's description of the most recent incident, the two earlier incidents she referenced and her direct appeal to the superintendent and board are recorded in the public comments segment of the Oct. 21 meeting.
