Defect with Google Workspace Suite

Defect with Google Workspace Suite

December 20, 2024

The district was notified at our Board meeting last night there was a Google Suite setting issue allowing internal Talawanda students, staff, and third-party individuals with Talawanda email accounts to search and access Talawanda employee calendars. Calendars were accessed from internal stakeholders.  Outside emails (non- Talawanda) cannot access Talawanda employee calendars.

The district immediately addressed the issue last night by changing the Google Suite Privacy settings for all.  The settings were changed to the most restrictive setting.  This stops internal staff, students, third-party individuals, and others using a student or staff member’s Talawanda device/email from accessing the calendars.

District leaders met with staff this morning prior to the start of the school day to provide additional training on how to utilize the  necessary privacy settings included in Google Suite and how to maintain those settings.

We contacted the employees that the district is aware that their Google calendar may have been viewed by parties that were not intended to have this information.  If you know of any additional individuals whose information was released, please alert the district immediately.

This is a Google Suite issue, NOT an  issue created by TSD, nor is the issue unique to this district.  TSD has and is working to notify other districts to alert them of this Google Suite issue.

As a reminder, it is illegal to share personally identifiable information that is protected by law.  If you have accessed, printed, saved, shared, or have in your possession any information related to this issue or any confidential information, please bring those documents to the Talawanda Administration Office at 131 W. Chestnut Street Oxford, OH 45056 as soon as possible.  Since we are entering the holiday break, please contact 513.273.3106 and leave a message of when you are available to return those confidential items.

We will continue to investigate and work on this issue.  If additional changes or actions are needed, the district will complete those necessary steps.

We do not condone the use of TSD technology systems to access, share, or provide information to individuals that are not the intended parties for that information, nor do we condone the accessing or sharing of confidential or proprietary information of TSD by unauthorized individuals.  The district encourages people to follow the TSD motto of “See Something, Say Something”.  Not only is this a student and staff confidentiality issue, but this is a very serious safety issue.

Thank you.