Providence’s refusal to acknowledge the leak of sensitive student data feels familiar

School (in)Security is our bi-weekly briefing on the latest school security news, reviewed by Mark Keierleber. Subscribe here.

Medusa is back.

The cybergang, which has gained notoriety for devastating ransomware attacks on K-12 school systems, has claimed the district of Providence, Rhode Island, as its latest victim, leaking tens of thousands of sensitive student records to its Telegram channel.

However, the district does not know—or may not want to admit—that private student affairs have entered the public domain. Reports of sexual misconduct. Special education records. Medical records. Vaccine stories. All are available with a Google search and a few clicks of the mouse.

So why isn’t the district acknowledging to parents and students that their information has been stolen? It’s a denial I’ve seen repeated over and over while reporting on school cyberattacks in recent years.

Earlier this month, a spokesman for the Providence district told reporters that an ongoing investigation had uncovered “no evidence that any personal student information was compromised.” However, when 74 presented the district with evidence to the contrary this week, it doubled down. Third-party consultants are conducting “a thorough review” to determine which files were stolen, he told The 74 without uttering the word “student.”

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The files have been available for download for almost a month. The state education department spokesman told me, in an unsolicited phone call this week after learning of my latest investigation, that no one (except me, apparently) could previously access the breached records.

“No one had actually gone in to see the files,” he said.

Click here to read my latest story on the K-12 ransomware beat. And thanks to our partners at The Boston Globe for co-publishing our story on Friday.

In the news

As New York City Mayor and former police officer Eric Adams faces not one but four (!) criminal investigations, federal agents raided the offices of the Department of Education’s school safety division. city ​​police The raid was part of an investigation into a possible bribery scheme involving a company that sells panic buttons to districts across the country. | The New York Times

“Black girls were always the ones being disciplined”: Black girls face harsher and more frequent disciplinary actions than their white peers, in the same schools and for similar behaviors, according to a new Government Accountability Office report on racial disparities in student suspensions . | The 74

Children who are removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect are routinely found sleeping in child protective services offices. Here’s how often it happens in Indiana. | Indianapolis Star

“I have to finish my school shooter outfit, just kidding”: Prosecutors say the father of a teenager accused of sparking a mass shooting at his Georgia high school knew the boy was obsessed with past gunmen and had a shrine above his bed to the shooter. school in Parkland, Florida. | Associated Press

Michigan special schools that serve students with complex behavioral problems routinely call the police for support. The frequent calls, critics argue, offer evidence that schools are failing the children they are designed to help. | Detroit Free Press

How DACA helps everyone: Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, the Obama-era policy that provides relief from deportation to undocumented immigrants who entered the country as young children, is a boon for children born in the States United, suggests a new study. The program “improves test scores and educational achievement not only for those who are directly eligible, but also for their peers.” | Brookings Institution

How a 15-word statement led to the arrest of a 10-year-old boy with autism at his Texas elementary school. | The Dallas Morning News

The Massachusetts attorney general’s office has sued TikTok, alleging the social media company knew its service was addictive for teenagers and was associated with sleep disruption, depression and anxiety. | axes

November 5th is coming… And schools worry about the safety of their students when their campuses are used as polling places. | NPR

Utah lawmakers allocated $100 million to schools to meet new security requirements, including panic buttons, locks and armed guards. The real price? 800 million dollars. | KSL

ICYMI @El74

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New York schools launch anti-hate hotline as reports of anti-Semitism, Islamophobia rise

Banned books find refuge in Maryland’s “Sanctuary Library.”

emotional support

Leo, who lives with my roommate Jo Napolitano, came prepared for school photo day.