Uncover Florida: Why is it that Schools Still Collect Students’ Social Security Numbers?

This story is part of Uncover Florida, a WUFT News series produced from?the questions you have. A large group member?asked us “So why do Florida school districts still collect Social Security Numbers of students who will be enrolling? Where will they be stored? Who may have access?”

Chad Kleinatland what food was in?C.W. Norton Elementary in north Gainesville for a May afternoon together with son, Michael.

It’s?plenty of time of year Alachua County schools call Kindergarten Round-Up. Michael could Kindergarten at Norton while in the fall.

Is his father likely to give you the number to his child’s school district, mainly because it asks of any new student?

“I’ve i never thought about this, honestly,” Chad Kleinatland said.

Thousands of students enroll each year at school districts across Florida, and several parents likely share Kleinatland’s reaction. Of course, requests for your or your child’s Social Security Number are ubiquitous in this society. When you’ve got missed placed your child’s social security card this is how to have a replacement social security card.

Florida’s public schools require an simple way to track those students from enrollment through graduation. Have you thought to operate the number that many Americans receive soon after birth?

The Social Security Administration’s answer: “Through misuse of SSNs, employees, faculty, and staff of institutions are be subject to the danger of id theft as well as repercussions. Having access to someone’s SSN can enable a thief to get information that can result in significant financial hardships for any victim. Although this might be disruptive for individuals and staff it may also cause civil liability to have an educational institution and its particular individual employees if an individual is harmed by information which has been distributed around others.”

In short, it suggests states establish?their particular option to track students. One of Florida’s 67 school district superintendents agrees.

“I don’t know why i’d have to have it,” Union County’s Carlton Faulk said. “Why could you (as the school district) want it, really?”

‘I trust them’

Ontario Smith Sr. also registered his son, Ontario Jr., during Alachua County’s Kindergarten Round-Up this month. He didn’t give you a second thought to the concept of providing Idylwild Elementary together with son’s Ssn.

“Whatever they require for many people to make sure- he’ll have a very good school year,” he was quoted saying. “Whatever we gotta do – I trust them.”

Still, the Social Security Administration’s Office of Inspector General was concerned enough regarding the practice nationally to issue an audit report truly. That review found “widespread” using of Social Security Numbers as student identifiers.

“While some State laws might need that K-12 schools collect SSNs in some instances, the world thinks some accomplish that really should be convenience – because SSNs are unique identifiers and the majority students have an SSN,” auditor Patrick P. O’Carroll, Jr. wrote.

“However, we do not believe administrative convenience should be more significant than safeguarding children’s private information.”

The audit also found Florida this year to get considered one of only seven states nationwide that want school districts to request Social Security Numbers from students. That law continues to within the books, eventhough it also says students aren’t necessary to provide it so that you can enroll or graduate.

The Department of Education didn’t respond to an index of questions, just like why Florida is probably the minority in collecting Social Security Numbers and regardless of if the state?gives instructions to districts about which employees must have use of that information.

‘We live in a different time’

When state Sen. Dennis Baxley (R-Ocala) is in college as a result of 1970s, the faculty identified him by his Social Security Number, on the extent that it appeared on each of his school exams.

“Who knows where those numbers are today?” he stated.?Baxley first desires to see an analysis of “the fallout and damage from the by using these numbers, then adopt a policy – probably eliminating the effective use of Social Security Numbers as being an identifier.”

He said he’d consider filing such legislation for your 2018 session because “we live in a different time.”

Such an analysis would likely mention these cases: an early Broward County band director who federal officials said in 2015 used former students’ private information to commit fraud, two North Miami men the FBI seen in 2015 with student information printouts, and hackers using the Manatee County School District in February.

The Miami Herald wrote in the story in regards to a separate 2015 fraud bust, “Florida, Georgia along with the District of Columbia emerged as national locations for ID theft-related crimes, especially tax-refund fraud.”

Variance in each district

All school districts want Social Security Numbers from new students, although wording on each district’s enrollment form is special.

State law doesn’t need that students and fogeys be notified?that they can withhold their Ss #, and so some districts’ forms tend not to include that information.

Similarly, regulations doesn’t require schools to express why they request it. The list of reasons goes past its usage for a student identifier. These people were Alachua County’s most up-to-date:

When Chad Kleinatland read that list in Michael’s enrollment packet, he stated, “I don’t really think they desire it.”

Levy County not uses Social Security Numbers to track students and parents for nothing or reduced price lunch, according to Kalee Wade, the district’s coordinator of benefits and risk management, since the entire county is going to a zero cost lunch program.

Regardless of ways a student’s number can be used during the district, Wade said, “We respect their privacy and would obviously never want something to happen to a student’s material.”

There are alternatives, for example the Florida Education Identifier, that this state created in the last decade. Districts must are now using that 10-digit number to report data to your state Department of Education.

Those that do not provide?it

The Florida Education Identifier can also be sometimes utilized to identify students they like to withhold their number coming from a school district.

How many students and parents don’t give districts their number? Totals vary, along with the higher totals of opt-outs don’t always correlate with those districts that tell students that providing their number is optional.

*Bradford, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hernando, and Lafayette counties wouldn’t provide data when requested.

Once parents submits children’s Ss # to some district, it’s trapped in two ways.

First, a paper copy assumes?a student’s cumulative folder. In Suwannee County those are “eventually shredded,” based on the district. Alachua, Marion, and Union counties archive them after having a student’s graduation. Union County, as an example, has paper files finding comfort 1922.

More importantly, though, is the electronic storage inside the cloud. Alachua, Columbia, Levy, Marion, and Suwannee counties keep records in encrypted databases.

“It’s very safe,” Keith Hatcher, director of getting and risk management for Columbia County Schools, said.

This story emerged from a crowd question. Submit your curiosities to determine Florida, and we’ll find the answer.

What would you wonder?