CollingwoodToday welcomes letters to the editor at [email protected] or via the website. Please include your full name, daytime phone number and address (for verification of authorship, not publication). The following letter is in response to our story, titled 'Simcoe Muskoka Catholic school board impacted by data breach', published Jan. 9.
I am writing to express my deep concern and disappointment regarding the recent PowerSchool data breach, which has exposed the personal information of countless students, including children from smaller cities like Orillia. As a parent of a child with special needs, I feel compelled to speak out about how incidents like this can have serious, long-lasting consequences for vulnerable members of our community.
While many are understandably worried about financial fraud or identity theft stemming from this breach, my primary concern is my child’s safety. Children, especially those with special needs, are often taught about “stranger danger”, but understanding the nuances of online threats is far more challenging for them.
For example, my son, distinguishing between a safe environment on and offline and a dangerous one is not always clear, despite all the efforts we make to educate him. This breach increases the risk of targeted exploitation, and that thought keeps me awake at night.
What appalls me even more is PowerSchool’s response to the situation! Simply paying a ransom and expecting that the stolen data won’t be misused further is, quite frankly, naive in my opinion.
Criminals who engage in such activities aren’t likely to stop at one payout. Once they see an opportunity, they often come back for more—it’s a vicious cycle. The idea that a ransom payment somehow “fixes” the problem is both irresponsible and short-sighted. It’s a band-aid solution to what is clearly a much deeper wound.
The safety and well-being of our children should take precedence over everything else. PowerSchool’s mishandling of this crisis shows a disregard for the most vulnerable members of society — our kids.
Shame on them for thinking that a ransom payment is enough to protect those who rely on them. We need accountability, transparency, and stronger security measures to ensure this never happens again!
As a parent, I demand better. The children of Orillia, and everywhere else, deserve better!
Kristin Chen
Orillia
