Washington Post - Student Data Compromised by Sherwin Collette, @MCPS Chief Technology Officer

"When the chief technology officer for Montgomery County schools gave a talk at a conference in Missouri a few years ago, he used a PowerPoint presentation that mistakenly included the names and photos of 16 Bethesda kindergartners, along with phone numbers.

It also listed the names, student identification numbers and reading scores of 145 Germantown fourth-graders."

Washington Post, June 17, 2015

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As the Chief Technology Officer, it was Sherwin Collette's responsibility to take steps to protect confidential student information, consistent with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). The plain fact is that it was illegal for Mr. Collette to use unredacted names, pictures, addresses, and test scores of actual students in a conference presentation. This breach goes way beyond a simple mistake.

Parents who are sufficiently concerned have the opportunity to file a complaint with the US Department of Education. The online complaint form can be found HERE.