JEFFERSON CITY - A hearing concerning a student data breach at Jefferson City Public Schools lasted over eleven hours Wednesday night.
Parents and others impacted by the data breach voiced their frustrations and concerns at the Miller Performing Arts Center in Jefferson City.
JCPS is considering firing Tammy Ferry, an instructional technology coordinator, after she used a personal email account to share current and former students' personal information.
The hearing started at 3 p.m. and ended at 2:30 a.m. the next morning, according to Ferry's attorney, Roger Brown.
Shared information included combinations of names, addresses, phone numbers, medical information, information on students' educational records, and Missouri Student Identification System numbers.
Community members were alerted to the security breach nearly two months ago and Ferry was placed on administrative leave.
"I have seen some issues in our district," Ferry said at the hearing. "But it's not because of the tools it's because the professional is not following the professional rules and they're being sloppy with it."
One JCPS employee said around 58,000 relevant files were stored on Ferry's personal computer.
Brown said that the court reporter will send a transcript to the parties and to the JCPS board for review. The school district will review the transcript in a closed session.
A decision on Ferry's employment could be made in as little as 10 days; however, Brown expects it to take closer to three weeks.
Gloss