Portland Public Schools mistakenly sent personal information on about 3,500 students to a military recruiter, including students whose families had specifically opted out of recruitment communications. The file included names, grade levels, phone numbers, home addresses and schools — but not Social Security numbers, financial information, medical records or academic records.
The error happened on July 7, when a former staff member provided a student data file without removing the opted-out students, according to OregonLive. The district said it contacted the recruiter after discovering the mistake, requested that the information be deleted and not used, and notified affected families, while the recruiter’s response to that request remained unclear.
The Opt-Out Was Supposed To Stop This
Federal rules generally require school districts receiving federal education funds to provide military recruiters with secondary students’ names, addresses and telephone listings when requested, unless a parent or eligible student has opted out. The U.S. Department of Education says that opt-out applies specifically to requests from military recruiters.
Portland’s own annual notice tells families they can decline the release of student information to military and college recruiters. The district’s notice also warns that once information is released, it may not be able to control how the recipient uses it, making the request for deletion a key part of the district’s response.
The district’s recruiting policy says military recruiters may request the names, addresses and telephone numbers of high school juniors and seniors, but it also specifically recognizes a parent’s or eligible student’s right to opt out. The incident appears to center not on whether recruiters can receive certain student information, but on the district’s failure to remove students who had exercised that option.
District Reviewing How The File Passed Through
PPS has launched an internal review, is verifying the number of opted-out students whose data was included and says it is adding safeguards and additional verification procedures. Spokesperson Candice Grose apologized to students and families, according to the OregonLive report.
The mistake affects a district that says it serves more than 42,000 students across 81 schools. As the review continues, families are left waiting for a clearer accounting of exactly how many students were affected and whether the recruiter deleted the information as requested.
