Montreal school board offering free three-year credit monitoring after privacy breach

Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board announced Monday it will provide free credit monitoring and identity protection for three years to all parents affected by a privacy breach that occurred on Thursday, July 2.

The school board sent an email to parents of Rosemere High School students containing a document with sensitive information including names, birth dates, social insurance numbers, phone numbers, email addresses, country of birth, and emergency contacts. Shortly after, the school board sent a text message asking parents not to open the email and delete it immediately.

James Di Sano, chairperson of the school board, said the breach will be reported to the Commission d'accès à l'information du Québec. "The Council of Commissioners takes the July 2 privacy incident at Rosemere High School very seriously and has been receiving regular updates on the measures being implemented to support affected individuals," Di Sano stated Monday.

Affected parents have been asked to sign a confirmation form verifying they have deleted the email. "These confirmations remain an important part of our mitigation efforts and help us verify that the information has been deleted and not shared further," Di Sano said. The school board also recommended affected parents place a free credit lock on their credit file with Equifax Canada and TransUnion Canada. The incident raised concerns about the school board's cybersecurity practices and protocols for handling sensitive personal data.