US Schools Put on Terror Alert – CD Found in Iraq with School Information

A computer disc containing photos and floor plans of U.S. Schools was found in Iraq by the U.S. Military. All the downloaded data was publicly available on the Internet including an Education Department report guiding schools on how to prepare and respond to a school crisis.

Education officials in six states were notified last month that a computer disc was found over the summer containing photos, floor plans and other information about schools in their districts. The districts mentioned were in California, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, New Jersey and Oregon. The districts were not named but Kay Baker, superintendent of Oregon’s Salem-Keizer district and Birch Run Superintendent Wayne Wright, confirmed that they had been contacted by the FBI.

The Education Department advised that even though there was no specific threat, school leaders nationwide should watch for people spying on their buildings or buses to help detect any possibility of terrorism like the recent deadly school siege in Russia. The Federal law enforcement advised schools to take steps to improve the security of their buildings.