Illuminate Data information Letter

Letter from FFC8 Administration - April 2022

FFC8 Families,

On April 15, 2022, the district was informed that a vendor that provides software used in the district, called Illuminate Education, was victim to suspicious activity in their computer system. The district uses this software to monitor, track and plan for student academic progress.

Once the district was notified of this event, the district immediately contacted Illuminate Education to request a list of all the impacted students and families in FFC8. The data dates back to 2019 and included some, but not all, current families, as well as former families. Those families impacted were sent an email from the district on Friday, April 29, 2022. This notice is being posted online for families who may not have received the direct communications.

Through the district’s investigation and conversations with Illuminate, it has been confirmed that a minimal amount of data was exposed. The exposed data includes students’ first name, last name, birthdate, and affiliated school. It appears to be old data pulled from 2019-2020 enrollment information. The district does not provide social security or financial information to Illuminate, thus that data was not at risk of being compromised. FFC8 is one of many districts in the region, state, and nation impacted by this event.

Illuminate’s investigation into the activity confirmed that certain databases containing student information were “subject to unauthorized access” between December 28, 2021 and January 8, 2022. According to the information provided to us by Illuminate Education, their investigation found “no evidence that any information was subject to actual or attempted misuse.”

Before entering into a contractual agreement with any company that may access or need student data, FFC8 does due diligence to ensure those companies have data privacy policies that are in compliance with the Colorado Student Data Transparency and Security Act (HB 16-1423). If you’d like, you can read more about how FFC8 protects student data privacy on our website.

Families who were impacted will receive an opportunity to sign up for 12 months of identity monitoring services, provided by Illuminate. The federal government has a website with tips on what to do if your (or your child’s data) is ever exposed, lost or stolen.

If you are concerned, would like to check on your status, or you qualify and would like to sign up for the identity monitoring service provided by Illuminate, you may call the company at 833-940-2288.

Thank you.