September is back to school, and with it comes the need to keep our kids’ information safe. Schools are a vital part of our children’s lives, and they handle sensitive data for students and their families. Private data includes financial information, medical conditions, and grades. It’s so important that schools comply with all laws when it comes to handling and destroying records.
Why Is Information Security Crucial?
Sensitive information is one of an organization’s most important assets, so it makes sense that you prioritize its security. Information security is “the practice of preventing unauthorized access, use, disclosure, disruption, modification, inspection, recording or destruction” of sensitive records. Educational institutions have so many records of data from students and their families, due to this it’s so crucial that the handling and destruction of these records happen in compliance with all laws.
FERPA, or the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, is the primary law to protect educational data. Although there are laws in place, there may be situations where rules may not apply. There is also the possibility that other precautions should be considered to protect educational data, stemming into areas outside of the school.
Why Shred?
Shredding paper is one of the best ways to keep information safe and secure, and shredding is fast, efficient, and compliant. Shredding protects student privacy by destroying sensitive information like grades and test scores. It helps prevent identity theft by destroying records with personal information like Social Security numbers and birthdates. Also, shredding can save space in storage areas and on campuses.
How Paper Shredding Keeps Schools Safe
There are many reasons why schools need to use document destruction services. Here is a list of why paper shredding is necessary for schools.
Prevent Fraud And Identity Thieves
Identity theft is becoming an increasingly severe problem. There are significant benefits for criminals in obtaining the personal details of individuals, and so there has been a substantial rise in the number of cases. Schools represent a pot of gold for identity theft, as there are so many documents containing personal details in circulation all the time. Many assume that organizations targeted for identity theft are only those in the finance or retail sector, but that’s not the case. It’s just as simple for third parties to get hold of sensitive information from school documents, especially as security may not be as tight. That’s why every school needs to have a system to destroy documents containing this data – a secure document shredding partner makes this process much easier to manage.
Document Shredding Keep School Clutter Free
Another big issue for schools is the problem of storage space. As well as taking up a lot of room, documents can become damaged or lost if they’re not stored properly. This is especially true if a school needs to keep hold of certain records for a long time – over the years, paper can start to degrade and become unreadable. Secure document shredding solves this problem by quickly and efficiently destroying unwanted documents, freeing up valuable storage space in the process.
Shredding Is Secure And Compliant
When it comes to data security, compliance is essential. There are strict laws governing how sensitive information must be handled, and if these rules are not followed, organizations can face heavy fines. Secure document shredding helps schools to comply with these regulations by ensuring that all documents are destroyed safely and securely.
Paper Shredding Is Cost-Effective
Another significant advantage of using a secure document shredding partner is that it can save schools a lot of money. It’s much cheaper than buying and maintaining your shredding equipment. It’s also more cost-effective than trying to destroy documents yourself – unless you have a large industrial paper shredder, the process will be prolonged and labor-intensive. Secure document shredding is fast, efficient, and compliant, so it’s the perfect solution for busy schools.
Secure document destruction should be a priority for every school, so if you don’t already have a paper shredding system, then now is the time to act. A reliable shredding service will help keep your school safe, compliant, and clutter-free.
Contact Security Shredding NJ today for more information on how our paper shredding services can help your school. We offer a free, no-obligation quote and would be happy to answer any of your questions. Call 973-734-1911.
