Many students and teachers are confused by the recent hacking and data breach that occurred in the school system, and staff members as well as kids that attend CHS simply want answers.

According to Officer Michael Erickson, the police officer stationed here at Centennial, the individuals that accessed the system were students at CHS.

“We don’t know exactly when it happened, but (about) the first half of the year was when it was first accessed,” he stated.

According to Carol Fenstermacher, Community Engagement Coordinator (APR) for the Centennial school district, there were about 200 staff members whose information was compromised.

The main information that was accessed consisted of names, addresses, test scores, driver’s license numbers, date of birth, race/ethnicity, and phone numbers.

“It’s my understanding they (the student hackers) were trying to test the system,” said Fenstermacher, although the motivation behind it remains unclear.

In order to protect the system from any future hackings, the district is hiring more individuals to investigate the system and make sure that future attempts to access information will be out of reach, said Fenstermacher.

Officer Erickson also declared that as far as the punishment for the students that did this, “It’s out of our hands and it’s up to the school district.”

Since the individuals involved are minors, their names and their punishments are protected and will not be released.