Washoe County School District Warns Parents: Anonymous Reporting System SafeVoice May Have Been Breached, About 10% of Tip Information May Have Leaked
The Washoe County School District (WCSD) notified parents on October 22 that confidential information from its anonymous threat reporting system, SafeVoice, 'may have been accessed, copied or taken.' The district said the Nevada Department of Education first alerted it to the data breach, and affected users span multiple states.
According to the notice, personally identifiable information may have been taken in about 10% of tips submitted through the system. Because of state law restrictions and the system's anonymous design, 'individuals whose personal information may have been affected cannot be notified directly.' The district said the state is working with education leaders to 'hold the third-party vendor Navigate360 accountable and demand transparency.' SafeVoice remains fully operational, with all reporting channels staffed; however, the state Department of Education is evaluating other, more secure platforms.
The district advised those who believe their personal information may have been affected to consider identity theft protection and credit monitoring services. Navigate360 has set up a hotline at 833-966-1754, available weekdays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pacific Time. More information is available by searching for SafeVoice on the Washoe County School District website. SafeVoice is a widely used channel in Nevada schools for anonymously reporting threats and safety hazards, and this incident highlights the data security risks of campus safety systems themselves.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 里诺市区 / Downtown Reno, Nevada — Ken Lund, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
