BETHALTO - Bethalto Community Unit School District was informed on Oct. 4, 2024, by the Bethalto Police Department that a former district employee was charged with computer tampering related to illegal access to the School District’s network.
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The Board of Education first became aware of a potential breach of the district computer system when a Board member received a screenshot of closed session materials from a community member. The Board requested an internal investigation at that time. The investigation resulted in evidence that a former employee was accessing the District’s computer network from their current place of employment and their home. The police were contacted on the advice of legal counsel and began a formal investigation based on the initial findings.
At this time we do not have all the details from the police investigation, however we will provide the information we have. Executive session and other internet board documents were accessed in the breach. Student files were not accessed in the breach. Twenty-three employee files were accessed and various types of personal information was viewed and in some cases printed. Those employees whose information was accessed have been notified. The Bethalto School District has an obligation to protect the personal information of the employees of the district and takes that very seriously.
While we do not have an explanation of intent behind this illegal breach of the District’s computer network, the police investigation did reveal a pattern. The breaches of board documents related directly in time and content to voluminous, detailed FOIA requests. These Freedom of Information Act requests have cost the School District thousands of dollars in legal fees because the nature of the requests required legal review. These FOIA requests and cooperation with the investigation caused significant disruption of district operations. District operations have been disrupted almost continuously since the end of the 2023-2024 school year when the individual charged today originated complaints and a very public smear campaign against Superintendent Jill Griffin. The actions for which this individual is charged appear to be a continuation of an attempt to discredit the superintendent.
With charges filed against the perpetrator of the data breach, the Bethalto School District Board of Education seeks to move forward from this tumultuous time. The Board has complete confidence in Dr. Jill Griffin to lead the school district out of this difficult situation and looks forward to continuing a successful 2024-2025 school year.
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