The Grades That Vanished, and Some Other Threats to Students' Data
LAST school year, thousands of student records in the Natomas Unified School District in Sacramento disappeared.
Two students at Natomas High School, using a stolen password, had gained illegal access to the school's computer network. They raised their grades to A's, then, in an attempt to cover their tracks, unwittingly deleted more than 18,000 records. Quick action by the school reversed the damage, and an investigation by the Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force led to community service and eventual probation for the culprits. But questions remained about the security of students' personal information in a digital age.
"Twenty-five years ago, someone might have distracted the teacher and gotten the grade book," said Lt. Bob Lozito of the sheriff's task force. "But in the system today, they have multiuse networks with grades and, depending on size of district, all the personal information for students and faculty. The potential for misuse is there."
