Protecting Our Children's Privacy

Thousands of K-12 students had their personal information compromised in data breaches between 2016 and 2020.  These data breeches include:Compromised data included grades, bullying reports, and Social Security numbers—leaving students vulnerable to emotional, physical, and financial harm.

Breaches were accidental and intentional—with a variety of responsible actors and motives. Wealthier, larger, and suburban school districts were more likely to have a reported breach.  Organizations are vulnerable to data security risks, including over 17,000 public school districts and approximately 98,000 public schools. As schools and districts increasingly rely on complex information technology systems for teaching, learning, and operating, they are collecting more student data electronically that can put a student's information.