Online classes face many challenges, and parents in Carlsbad, California, are facing yet another – cybersecurity.
“The principal sent every parent an email letting them know there was a problem,” said Judith Santos, the mother of a Calavera Hills High School student. “Someone hacked into the online class.”
Santos says the school year has just begun and the children are already facing the harsh reality. “A man broke into the online class and said various obscene words and showed an inappropriate video,” Santos describes.
The incident occurred in the 7th grade online class at Calavera Hills Middle School on Tuesday.
According to a statement from the school, the online class held via Google Meet was hacked twice by an unauthorized user. Some say it may be a student, since the teacher accepted his request to participate in the online class. The person did not show his face, but made inappropriate statements and showed videos of inappropriate content.
"I always knew it was very likely to happen in an online class, but I didn't think it would happen at our school," Santos said.
Santos showed NBC 7 the letter issued by the director, which stated:
“This is clearly unacceptable and goes against our priority of ensuring the safety of the students at Calavera Hills Middle School. We are working closely with the Carlsbad Police Department to investigate this incident and prevent any similar violations in the future.”
“No matter what technology we use, there are always people looking for a way to reach children , and that’s what worries me. As I tell my children, if someone tries to reach you online for any reason, tell your parents or an adult you trust,” said Judith Santos.
