Last fall students at Cascade Middle School identified security concerns with student privacy by discovering a method that allowed students to see other students’ ID numbers. This led the Sedro-Woolley School district to reset all student passwords, catching many at SWHS off guard.
This change was brought up last year, after students found a way to identify students with their ID number, though thankfully no more than a handful of IDs were discovered before being swiftly changed.
“It was the students who actually figured out how to do it. They showed us exactly how it could be done,” said the Cascade Middle School principal, Stephanie Bachmeier.
Students could only discover student IDs by guessing what the ID was, or putting in a random one, and the student’s photo would pop up.
After finding their friend’s account, the two students went to Cascade Administration to tell them about the issue. Cascade presented the idea to change the passwords to the technical department.
“This was a collaborative decision that started at the Cascade Middle School. The admin of Sedro-Woolley High School and State Street High School decided it would be a good idea to have the same passwords at their building to reduce changes as students progress through the grade levels.” Said Bryon Haner, the director of Technology Support. Though SWHS isn’t new to password updates. “We changed from birthdays as passwords to the lunch number at CMS, SS and SWHS in 2011,” he continued with, “it (password changes) could happen. However we have no plans to change at this time.”
The idea of another reset can cause concern, but Sedro-Woolley High School Principal, Kerri Carlton, has a promise that the High School would be more prepared if or when that time comes.
“So I’m hoping then, that we email, you know, a month in advance. I learned from that experience. And I will talk to the tech department, and say, ‘let’s try this idea.’”
Carlton said.
“And it is a reality that change is hard; any type of change. the way to; or; help through change is to try and create as much systems of support around that change.”
