Well it’s back to school again, a very exciting but busy time of year for everyone! (Including identity thieves). Child identity theft cases are on the rise here in Lost Angeles and the rest of the U.S, and enrolling in a new school year presents several opportunities for criminal activity to take place.
For starters, every new school year, parents are asked to fill out several documents in regards to their child’s personal information; whether it be registration forms, health forms, emergency contact forms etc. Each of these forms requests confidential details which if exposed to the wrong person, could be dangerous. It’s crucial that your educational facility is taking the preventative measures to maintain protection over all student and faculty information. After all, if you intend to comply with the Data Protection Act, which is a legal obligation and not actually a choice, you must protect children, staff, parents and supplier’s information at all times.
At most schools here in Los Angeles, information security is taken seriously. Generally personal files are kept in locked cabinets, with limited access to physical documents to assist in safeguarding all personal information, but what about old files that are just consuming space? What’s happening with old documents that are no longer needed?
Often the protection chain is broken at the disposal stage in the lifecycle of these files. While school staff are becoming more and more diligent with protecting data being processed onsite, secure disposal must also be taken into consideration. In what method is your school currently disposing of old files?
Several schools turn to a recycling service for the disposal of old files, rather than hiring a professional paper shredding company that can provide solutions designed specifically for schools. Tossing documents in a recycling bin does not guarantee destruction, therefore leaves information vulnerable to the outside public. If it’s discovered that theft has taken place due to negligent document disposal, your data controller will be held liable and may face legal consequences.
So who should your Los Angeles school turn to? SAFESHRED has been supplying reliable paper shredding services to various industries, including schools since 1995. We’ll place quality, lockable collection containers in your faculty offices, so staff can conveniently place sensitive documents in an enclosed area until they have reached capacity. Once containers are full, our trained personnel will come to you to perform the shredding process, saving you the hassle of transporting information offsite.
Looking for new fundraising ideas? Consider holding a Community Shred Day event at your school in Los Angeles! It’s the perfect opportunity to clean out those filing cabinets, while bringing the community together to support the battle against identity theft. If your school would like to find out more about our Community Shred Day events, or if you’d simply like more details pertaining to paper shredding services we offer, please get in touch with us today. Start the school year off the right way with smart and secure document disposal practices!
Call 1-800-987-4733
