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After telling Jersey City parents two weeks ago that the school district was investigating a possible data breach of personal student information, and then saying two days later that there was no data breach, school officials now allege that a local charter school did indeed improperly access the personal information.
In a letter sent to parents on Friday, School Superintendent Marcia V. Lyles said a district investigation has concluded that M.E.T.S. Charter School officials have admitted they "accessed" the district's computer system to obtain personal information on district students.
The district subsequently restricted the charter school's access to the system and is meeting with its software vendor to determine the extent of the data breach and how to protect student information, according to the letter.
"The district will continue to work to ensure that our student information is secure," Lyles said in the letter, adding that the district has alerted the state Department of Education about the matter.
Board of Education member Ellen Simon, speaking on behalf of the nine-member board, said the data breach was done "without district knowledge or consent."
"The district acted diligently and in good faith," Simon said in an email. "I'm not sure the same can be said about M.E.T.S., at this point."
UPDATE: M.E.T.S. officials say they were authorized to access data
The investigation into the data breach began after district students received mailers from M.E.T.S. advertising the Sherman Avenue charter school and an upcoming open house, mailers that were addressed to students.
The district has given conflicting stories when asked how M.E.T.S. obtained the students' personal information.
At a June 11 districtwide meeting, Lyles told parents that she believed the charter school obtained that information by accessing names, addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth and possible even social security numbers of district students via district computers, according to parents who attended the meeting.
Two days later, the day The Jersey Journal published a story on the controversy, the district released a statement saying there was no data breach at all, adding that M.E.T.S. officials told the district it had the information courtesy of a list the district gave the school three years ago.
"Additional checks of the district's data systems also indicated that there was no breach, nor could M.E.T.S. Charter School staff have accessed district information from the district's current system," district spokeswoman Maryann Dickar said on June 13.
But that's not the case, according to Lyles' newest letter, which says the district's June 13 statement denying there was a data breach was based on the word of M.E.T.S. officials who initially said they never accessed district computers.
Asked about the discrepancy, Dickar told The Jersey Journal that "much of what was reported out of (the June 11 meeting) was second- or third-hand and not necessarily accurate." Asked about her June 13 statement that the district checked its data systems and found no breach, Dickar did not respond.
Joel Torres, whose 11-year-old daughter received one of the M.E.T.S. mailers, told The Jersey Journal he thinks there "might be more" that the district isn't acknowledging.
"If I hadn't made a fuss about it at the Thursday Board of Education meeting, it would have been swept under the rug," Torres said.
In a letter sent to parents on Friday, School Superintendent Marcia V. Lyles said a district investigation has concluded that M.E.T.S. Charter School officials have admitted they "accessed" the district's computer system to obtain personal information on district students.
The district subsequently restricted the charter school's access to the system and is meeting with its software vendor to determine the extent of the data breach and how to protect student information, according to the letter.
"The district will continue to work to ensure that our student information is secure," Lyles said in the letter, adding that the district has alerted the state Department of Education about the matter.
Board of Education member Ellen Simon, speaking on behalf of the nine-member board, said the data breach was done "without district knowledge or consent."
"The district acted diligently and in good faith," Simon said in an email. "I'm not sure the same can be said about M.E.T.S., at this point."
UPDATE: M.E.T.S. officials say they were authorized to access data
The investigation into the data breach began after district students received mailers from M.E.T.S. advertising the Sherman Avenue charter school and an upcoming open house, mailers that were addressed to students.
The district has given conflicting stories when asked how M.E.T.S. obtained the students' personal information.
At a June 11 districtwide meeting, Lyles told parents that she believed the charter school obtained that information by accessing names, addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth and possible even social security numbers of district students via district computers, according to parents who attended the meeting.
Two days later, the day The Jersey Journal published a story on the controversy, the district released a statement saying there was no data breach at all, adding that M.E.T.S. officials told the district it had the information courtesy of a list the district gave the school three years ago.
"Additional checks of the district's data systems also indicated that there was no breach, nor could M.E.T.S. Charter School staff have accessed district information from the district's current system," district spokeswoman Maryann Dickar said on June 13.
But that's not the case, according to Lyles' newest letter, which says the district's June 13 statement denying there was a data breach was based on the word of M.E.T.S. officials who initially said they never accessed district computers.
Asked about the discrepancy, Dickar told The Jersey Journal that "much of what was reported out of (the June 11 meeting) was second- or third-hand and not necessarily accurate." Asked about her June 13 statement that the district checked its data systems and found no breach, Dickar did not respond.
Joel Torres, whose 11-year-old daughter received one of the M.E.T.S. mailers, told The Jersey Journal he thinks there "might be more" that the district isn't acknowledging.
"If I hadn't made a fuss about it at the Thursday Board of Education meeting, it would have been swept under the rug," Torres said.
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