Colwyn Bay school investigates YouTube video

[Brains]

How on earth did this slip through?

 

An investigation has begun into claims personal material relating to a secondary school pupil was used on a training video posted online.

 

It is alleged the information, including the behaviour and contact information for a boy at Eirias High School, in Colwyn Bay, Conwy, was publicly available on YouTube.

 

The pupil's father said he was "happy" after the school apologised to him.

 

The Information Commissioner's Office confirmed it was investigating.

 

The boy's father, who does not wish to be named, said he was "shocked" when the school contacted him, but he understood it was a mistake and the school had apologised.

 

"Somebody has made a mistake, we all make mistakes, and pressed the wrong button," he said.

 

The father added he had been told he can complain to the school's board of governors.

 

"They have made me aware of my rights," he added.

 

Investigation

Head teacher Phil McTague said he was looking into the background to the incident.

 

It is alleged the boy's details were apparently posted as part of a training video to be accessed by school staff, but the information became publicly available.

 

The recording, which is just over three minutes long, is apparently being used to explain how to use an internal computer system to record incidents of bad behaviour and bullying.

 

Part of the video is then alleged to have included the school's confidential record of the boy, including his full name, home address and comments about his behaviour.

 

There is also allegedly contact information held by the school on the boy and his parents.

 

The school's head teacher Mr McTague told BBC Wales that concern has been raised and the school will investigate.

 

The Information Commissioner - the UK's independent authority set up to uphold information rights in the public interest - also confirmed it is investigating the allegation.

 

 

I genuinely can't believe any teacher could ever be this stupid!

 

Having spoken to a friend at the school, nobody seems quite sure about what's happened, but from what's been said, you can't get much sillier!

 

From BBC News, North West Wales

[webman]

I genuinely can't believe any teacher could ever be this stupid!

 

Really... ?

[soveryapt]

OMG ..

 

It is alleged the boy's details were apparently posted as part of a training video to be accessed by school staff, but the information became publicly available.

 

What were they doing posting it to YouTube in the first place, private settings or not?! Surely that is the single most stupid thing that happened there. Use an internal media server if it's a training video to be accessed by school staff, not a flippin' world wide accessible site like YouTube!

[laserblazer]

Fair play to the father though for taking a reasonable stance.

[GrumbleDook]

It may have been recorded for internal training and so there would not have been a problem. Then someone could have just taken a group of vids and put them online without having watched them all. It happens ... That is why you should also include the IL on videos made too (including listing details of people in videos so you can be sure looked after children, etc are not accidentally shown on video on PR / training materials).

[rad]

Why use a live "system" and not change the data shown on screen to a dummy account

[CAM]

Looks like someone needs to learn how to use Green Abbey

[tech_guy]

One word. Morons. Followed by OMG.

[SimpleSi]

Somebody has made a mistake, we all make mistakes, and pressed the wrong button," he said.

 

Thank god there's still a few people around with perspective

 

Si

[GrumbleDook]

So people have never made a mistake on here? What happens if you are the tech at this school and you are given the job of putting some training videos online? The person who originally made those vids might have done purely for internal consumption, the mangler who made the decision might have only heard that the training session went well and so instructed the tech to stick them up.

 

Of course it was wrong, but who here can say that their schools keeps a full video library with all the details of who appears in those videos, whether the materials can be shared externally, what personal information might be in there and so on ... (and yes, I am aware of at least 4 members who can say yes to that question), the school also having published guidance on data protection and FoI which all parents know about, regularly reviews the data they collect and hold and makes changes to their registration with the ICO about how they will make use of it ...