Changes to October 1, 2010 Student Data Collection

INFORMATIONAL LETTER: 32
POLICY CODE: JF/KLL

TO: Superintendents of Schools
FROM: Angela R. Faherty, Ph.D., Commissioner, Maine Department of Education
DATE: September 28, 2010
SUBJECT: Changes to October 1, 2010 Student Data Collection

The Maine Department of Education will delay the submission to the State of student Social Security numbers, which was to begin as early as Friday, October 1.

As you are aware, the voluntary collection of student Social Security numbers has become controversial in some Maine communities as privacy advocates have expressed concerns about the security of the information. We take these concerns very seriously and want to take adequate precautions to assure appropriate security systems are in place.

On September 24, an error within a secondary system not connected to the collection of student information was discovered. The error affected information in the Staff Module of the State Edition of the Infinite Campus information system, and allowed authorized users of the system to see information there that should have been restricted.

While the Maine Department of Education remains confident in the security of the system used to collect student data, including voluntarily submitted Social Security numbers, we also understand the importance of public confidence in that system.

We have immediately put in place the following changes:

We have turned off the synchronization function in the Infinite Campus District Edition so that no student data can be shared or viewed. In addition, we will also delete any student Social Security numbers that have been entered or uploaded into the State system as a result of synchronization so far this year.
At our request, the State’s Office of Information Technology will immediately engage an outside contractor to conduct an independent security review to verify the integrity of the State’s Staff Module where the error occurred, and to further verify that the student data system is secure.
We are directing SAUs to delay submission of student Social Security numbers to the State. SAUs will be provided a software script that allows them to upload student enrollment data without Social Security numbers. Districts should continue to securely hold the Social Security number data they have already collected for later submission.

Background
On Friday, a technology director for a Maine school system, whose job duties include managing student and staff data in Infinite Campus, informed the Department that he was able to view Social Security numbers for some school staff in other school systems in the State. The Department was able to identify the problem that day and immediately restrict access to the information.

It is important to know that only people with authorization to access Infinite Campus were able to view the restricted information, and that the Staff Module of the Infinite Campus State Edition is separate from all other modules in the database and is in the final stages of development and not scheduled to be used for staff data collection until the Fall of 2011.

Summary
The Department of Education will release the findings of the independent review, with specific recommendations for how we proceed in the most secure way.

However, please note that the annual October 1 student data submission is critical for calculations of Essential Programs and Services; and please be assured that these calculations can be done without the student Social Security numbers.

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.

We will be in contact with SAU data coordinators with specific details on how to use the amended software scripts for submitting the October 1 student data. If you have any questions, please contact Brian Snow, Education Data Manager, at Brian.Snow@Maine.gov or 624-6840.