Will delete numbers already submitted
AUGUSTA -- The Maine Department of Education is telling school districts to hold off on submitting students' Social Security numbers to a state database while the department works out a system error that allowed a school technology director access to restricted information.
The state education department on Tuesday said it is deleting from its data systems student Social Security numbers that have already been submitted and ordering an outside review of the security of its data collection systems.
A technology director for a Maine school district on Friday reported being able to see the Social Security numbers of staff members employed by other Maine school districts.
State education officials say they immediately located the problem and addressed it, restricting access to the staff members' Social Security information. They still plan to hire an outside contractor to determine how the private information became available and how to prevent future data breaches, the department said.
"The department takes the security of private information seriously, and supports school boards, parents and school officials in their caution with respect to the collection of data," Education Commissioner Angela Faherty said in a statement.
The data flap comes as Maine school districts are for the first time collecting students' Social Security numbers to add to a statewide database intended to help policymakers track students' progress throughout school and college and into the workplace.
The Department of Education was to collect the Social Security numbers from districts along with a number of other informational items -- including enrollment and special education data -- that it collects on Oct. 1 of each year.
The Department of Education collects the information through its Infinite Campus information portal, the system through which the technology director was able to view the sensitive information.
"We're grateful that the Department of Education has recognized the seriousness of our data security concerns," said Shenna Bellows, executive director of the Maine Civil Liberties Union, which has been a vocal opponent of the Social Security number collection. "We continue to believe that there are more effective ways to evaluate student outcomes without violating student privacy."
Since the education department started rolling out information about the Social Security number collection, a number of school boards have passed resolutions opposing it. Under the 2009 law, school districts are required to ask for students' Social Security numbers, but parents can decline to share them.
The Department of Education said the technology director's ability to view staff members' Social Security numbers wasn't connected to the Infinite Campus function that would manage the collection of students' Social Security numbers.
"We want to just provide that added confidence with an independent review so people can remain comfortable that we have a secure system," said David Connerty-Marin, a Department of Education spokesman.
Connerty-Marin said state education officials are advising school districts to hang onto the student Social Security numbers they've already collected until the state is ready to accept them, which is expected to be in a few weeks.
The delay in Social Security number collection announced Tuesday is the second such delay since the law passed in June 2009. The Department of Education last September decided to hold off on the collection one more year to allow schools time to update privacy policies.
Matthew Stone -- 623-3811, ext. 435
LINK: http://www.kjonline.com/news/glitch-delays-collection-of-student-social-security-numbers_2010-09-28.html
