Reported by MyFOXMaine.com:
With the start of school just weeks away, many parents are on edge about a new state law asking schools to collect students’ Social Security numbers.
The state plans to use the data to measure the efficiency of the current curriculum by tracking students’ progress from elementary school to their first place of employment.
The Maine Department of Education says there will be no consequences for withholding the information.
This is an issue that goes beyond Maine and is actually a national issue in tracking students’ progress. However, I think it is a terrible idea for schools to be collecting Social Security numbers. In this day and age, and given the lack of security/IT in place in most public school systems, I see this as an invitation to more hacks and breaches that could lead to ID theft for minors who may not even discover the ID theft or compromise until they are much older.
If my kids were still of school age and I was asked for their SSN, I’d decline or fight it.