Is Your Child's Personal Information Safe At PS 139?

Is PS 139 properly disposing of student records? A neighbor writes:

Argyle Rd. outside PS 139 was covered last night in papers thrown out by the school. By the looks of it, a recycling bag had fallen out of a garbage truck and torn open, or so I would like to think.

Upon closer inspection, at least some of those papers were Student Information sheets, containing student names, dates of birth, school IDs,  and grade level along with information on IEPs, allergies, custody information and disabilities.

Is it unreasonable to expect these documents be shredded?

We’ve reached out to the Department of Education to see what the procedure is, but a regulation file from 2009 makes it seem like sensitive documents such as this should be shredded and packaged in labeled boxes for disposal. The file says:

When records containing confidential information are to be disposed of, they must be shredded to ensure that the confidential information is destroyed. Boxes designated for disposal must be carefully labeled, and those containing student records must be labeled as such. Designated staff should contact the ISC/CFN for assistance in arranging for documents to be shredded.

This is hardly the first time student files have been left in the street for all to see, and beyond confidentiality, we feel for the neighbors who regularly have to clean up messes outside the schoolyard on Argyle.

So, is PS 139’s disposal of student records acceptable? And, as the school goes, is there a larger problem with the way refuse is handled?