Maine’s RSU39 Parents Receive Entire District’s Progress Reports in Privacy Breach

A significant privacy breach has shaken parents and staff within RSU39 after a district email mistakenly exposed sensitive student information.

According to WABI TV 5, the message, sent to parents earlier this week, was intended to provide each family with their own child’s progress report. Instead, the attached PDF file included progress reports for every student in the district.

The incident has raised serious concerns among families, teachers, and administrators, since academic records are protected under federal privacy laws, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). WABI says FERPA strictly limits the disclosure of student information and requires schools to safeguard records from unauthorized access.

RSU39 Superintendent Jane McCall confirmed the error in a written statement. “I will confirm that yes, that is true,” McCall said. “Unfortunately, I cannot speak to the details of how it happened, as I have been advised by attorneys not to; an unintended outcome in a conversation could lead to the breaching of the confidentiality of personnel.”

While McCall did not elaborate on how the breach occurred, parents say the mistake has left them frustrated and concerned about the security of their children’s information. WABI expanded that for some, it has also raised questions about the district’s internal systems and how such a wide-reaching error was able to occur.

As of now, the district has not disclosed what steps are being taken to investigate the breach or what measures will be put in place to ensure it does not happen again. Families are waiting for further communication and clarification from district officials.