On Tuesday October 3, Davenport North High School’s parent portal database was hacked and vital information such as phone numbers and addresses were leaked. Some parents received threatening texts concerning a potential shooting on Tuesday evening. The next day, around 300 out of the 1,100 students were absent. These text messages came one day after similar incidents were reported in the suburbs of Johnston, Des Moines. This resulted in the cancellation of school the following day for Des Moines.
Superintendent of Davenport Community Schools, Dr. Art Tate, released a statement on Wednesday which said “The Davenport Police Department and the Davenport Community School District administration immediately assessed the source and content of the media posts and determined there was no credible threat; therefore, it was decided that school would continue on the normal schedule today…Our students, parents, and our community need to know that all threats are taken seriously. The Davenport Community School District works with the police department and other agencies to evaluate information in these cases and determine whether it is information we should react to. The safety of our students and employees is foremost.” Currently, the Davenport Police Department is working with the FBI and cybersecurity experts as well as other law enforcement agencies to find the source of these threats.
Although technology and its uses are advancing at a fast pace rate, many don’t see the danger of embracing such developments in society.
Other students have voiced concerns in amplifying the security.
“I think that only information that is necessary should be put out in the open,” says senior Austin Hedgren. “Honestly I think that as time progresses and people become more reliant on technology there is always going to be an imminent threat of information being leaked or hacked, but that’s just something people are going to live with. I mean, I guess society has become blind to the fact that putting information for logins and whatnots can be used against them, but we’ve also grown to know that as technology advances, so does its security.”
As of now, no other information has been publicly released, but police forces at Davenport North High School have been increased, and necessary precautions are being taken to prevent in the case of a shooting.
Kaylee Lerschen • Oct 16, 2017 at 8:11 am
I think it’s a good thing Davenport’s getting more police forces.