Parent Group Decries Lack Of Communication

“Changes must be made or confidence levels in [Superintendent Carvalho’s] ability to lead and keep people informed will continue to dwindle.”
- Parents Supporting Teachers

As the LAUSD’s computer systems started to malfunction on Wednesday, August 31, 2022, its users were given no indication that these anomalies were occurring throughout the district. Even as the entire system was brought down to interrupt a hack by bad actors, stakeholders were left in the dark and could only find out that they were not the only ones having a problem by networking on social media.

Even after LAUSD officials acknowledged the hack, they were not forthcoming about the extent of the damage it had caused. Superintendent Carvalho even went as far as to threaten a criminal investigation of anyone disseminating information that ran counter to the district narrative.

As Carvalho tried to construct an account that portrayed the LAUSD as victors and “mission accomplished,” systems continued to fail. While public-facing websites should have been on separate servers, the Board of Education page continues to be a temporary version that is missing much of the previously available information. A system to sign up public speakers for board meetings failed even though it does not require the use of any district data. Despite continued assurances that the district did not think that sensitive information had been released, the hackers released data to the dark web that included “at least several complaints detailing workplace harassment and personally identifiable information of minors.”

Even after the release, the Superintendent continues to insist that there is “no evidence of widespread impact as far as truly sensitive, confidential information.” He is “adamant” that students’ psychological assessments were not leaked, but the Los Angeles Times “found one example”. The district’s assessment seems to be based on the assumption that the criminals who posted the information on the dark web released everything they have and that they are not holding anything back. This indicates that a month after the attack the LAUSD still has no idea how deeply their systems were penetrated.

Earlier this week, Parents Supporting Teachers (PST) issued a press release detailing their frustration and concern with the way communication surrounding the hack is being handled. The group alleges that parents and teachers are not the only ones being left in the dark, but that Superintendent Carvalho is not even sending emails with updates to principals. PST, which is “the largest parent advocacy group supporting LAUSD teachers and families”, notes that “Everyone has a right to know if they’ve been impacted and the district has a responsibility to inform them.”

The complete release is printed below:

Parents Supporting Teachers Responds to Lack of District Communication on LAUSD Hack and Data Release

Parents Supporting Teachers (PST), the largest parent advocacy group supporting Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) teachers and families, is frustrated and concerned with the way communication surrounding the current hack is being handled.

LAUSD Communication has dwindled to almost nothing with the current administration. Superintendent Carvalho communicates only with his immediate team, or on Social Media. He doesn’t send emails to principals, he doesn’t send updates to families, and he doesn’t communicate with teachers and staff. It has been seven months since he took the helm, plenty of time to create a consistent and effective communication system. He promised stakeholders complete transparency, engagement, and communication but has failed to make good on that promise. As a result, families and staff are living in a world of obscurity which is having a deleterious impact on stakeholders. Changes must be made or confidence levels in his ability to lead and keep people informed will continue to dwindle.

“When the hack first happened there were many unknowns, which we understand, but families and staff should have, at minimum, received communication stating that the systems were down, and to stay off of them,” said Parents Supporting teachers co-founders Nicolle Fefferman and Jenna Schwartz. “As soon as group members started telling us they were having email issues, and Schoology issues, we immediately recommended staying off of the LAUSD system until more information was shared, and the district should have done the same. The thousands of people who changed their passwords before being informed about the hack may not have further weakened their personal protections, but without being told otherwise, we fear the worst.”

“Social Media is a supplemental form of communication, not a primary source. Parents and staff rely on emails and phone calls, and have not received any information about how to protect their information. The Superintendent has not communicated with families, teachers or even his principals.” said Schwartz. “No one should be penalized for not being on Twitter.”

“Providing a hotline for concerned families and staff is a great place to start, but 6:00 am to 3:30 pm Monday through Friday does little good to the people primarily impacted; those who work in schools,” said Fefferman.

“It is incredibly disconcerting to hear that so much of our staff and students personal information was potentially released, particularly if we as consumers could have done something over the past few weeks to protect ourselves or our accounts. Everyone has a right to know if they’ve been impacted and the district has a responsibility to inform them,” said LAUSD parent and moderator Rachel Wagner.

Carl Petersen is a parent advocate for students with special education needs and public education. He was elected to the Northridge East Neighborhood Council and is the Education Chair. As a Green Party candidate in LAUSD’s District 2 School Board race, he was endorsed by Network for Public Education (NPE) Action. Dr. Diane Ravitch has called him “a valiant fighter for public schools in Los Angeles.” For links to his blogs, please visit www.ChangeTheLAUSD.com. Opinions are his own.