(Texas Scorecard) – Parents in Leander ISD are concerned for their children’s privacy after students’ vaccine records were publicly shared at Danielson Middle School.
During lunch, about 30 students, who were not up to date on their vaccinations, had their names projected on a screen by the vice principal of the middle school.
The parents later received an emailed letter from the principal of Danielson Middle School, stating, “While the desire was to communicate in an efficient manner, administration quickly realized the misstep and removed the information.”
Principal Erika Cruz continued, “We acknowledge and sincerely apologize for how this information was shared.”
The email also stated they are committed to ensuring that the children’s privacy is protected and that steps are being taken to prevent a similar situation from occurring again.
Michelle Evans, political director for Texans for Vaccine Choice, said she believes the incident was purposeful.
“Despite a weak apology, it is obvious that the Assistant Principal in question was very deliberate in her actions. This was not a momentary lapse in judgment; this was an intentional violation of student privacy and a complete disregard for parental rights,” Evans told Texas Scorecard.
KVUE ABC reported that Leander ISD parents are hoping that the school district will effect change to protect students’ privacy as this is not the first time that sensitive information of this nature has been shared publicly.
“It seems like they haven’t really thought through how to take care of privacy issues, you know,” Jeremy Gryder, parent of a Leander ISD middle schooler, told KVUE. “And to me, when it comes down to putting kids in a bad situation, that’s when I get upset.”
In September of 2023, Cedar Park Middle School sent out an email to over 200 parents requesting current vaccine records for students who were not up to date on certain vaccinations. KVUE ABC reported that the email addresses were not blind copied and personal email addresses could be seen by all recipients.