Queensland girls school caught up in data breach containing personal information about students

ABC NEWS (Australia)

One of Queensland's most prestigious girls schools has been caught up in an embarrassing data breach after a student stumbled across a detailed list of personal information about fellow students. The comments include sensitive medical information, offensive details about appearances, and their demeanour, like "they are odd, rude or lazy".

Transcript

00:00There is no doubt teachers need to know who their students are, their abilities and personalities.

00:08But what has angered Somerville house parents are personal comments, which at times were

00:14offensive and inappropriate, that were made about their grade 7 daughters, describing

00:20some as moody and conniving, a smartass, flighty, lazy, socially inept, controlling, or had

00:29messy hair.

00:31Specific medical conditions are also listed and whether they're getting treatment.

00:36Parents' marital status too, with comments like receiving counselling or are quirky or

00:43complainers.

00:44One teacher also described a father as having a scowly face and another intense.

00:52Education leadership expert Professor Leigh Ann Perry is shocked by the language used.

00:57I'm dismayed and aghast at these comments that have been recorded.

01:04They're not professional.

01:05They're not appropriate.

01:06And they should never have been written down in the first place.

01:09Somerville is investigating the data breach.

01:11But the ABC has been told the document on Microsoft Teams was accessed by a student by chance.

01:19In a letter sent to parents, the principal says the notes contained comments that fall short

01:25of our standards and our values.

01:28The security breach, to my mind, is absolutely preventable.

01:33It should be reported to the appropriate authorities as they're required to do, in addition to taking

01:38steps to reassure the school community that this will never happen again.

01:42The then primary school students are now in the middle of year 11 exams.

01:48A parent of one of the affected girls has described the document as a dirt file, utterly unacceptable,

01:55and the comments salacious.

01:57The school has been approached for comment.

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