Make no mistake about it, last week’s data breach in the Lehighton Area School District wasn’t just a mistake.

By any reasonable, acceptable standard for any public servant, it was a failure of judgment by a sitting school board member.

It exposed employees’ Social Security numbers, confidential student records and possibly private financial information of families who entrusted their schools with protecting their children.

There was no hacker. No disgruntled employee.

It was, instead, a school director.

David Bradley.

Bradley, appointed last year to fill a board vacancy despite concerns of taxpayers and new, duly-elected board members, admitted to a packed meeting room Thursday night that he and his “team” uploaded over 120,000 district documents to a website called lehightongovt.org without reviewing them for sensitive content.

He didn’t deny it.

He offered no apology.

He failed to accept any responsibility for the potential human cost of his actions.

Instead, he blamed the school district for complying with a court order that mandated the release of unredacted records to him alone.

Not to the public.

Not to the Internet.

And certainly not to a website that he and his “team” control.

But it wasn’t the district’s fault. They had no choice.

In December 2024, Carbon County Judge Joseph Matika fined and sanctioned the district for not complying with the Office of Open Records ruling that mandated the district provide Bradley with the records as the Right-To-Know requester.

It did not authorize him to publish them.

It did not relieve him of obligations under FERPA — the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act — a federal law that gives parents and students over 18 or in college the rights over access and control of their education records.

It did not relieve him of his ethical duties as a school board member.

A statement the district issued couldn’t have been more clear. Bradley’s release of the information was unauthorized, unnecessary, and dangerous.

And the consequences of Bradley’s action are just beginning.

A veteran teacher stood in the crowd on Thursday and told Bradley he had published her Social Security number, as well as other sensitive information.

A concerned mother warned that the first entry on the credit report of her son — a child who was a minor until just recently — may now be fraud.

District Superintendent John Moser said he felt nauseous when he learned of the breach.

Board President Alex Matika, who participated remotely, said Bradley’s action was “misconduct and malfeasance” and demanded his resignation.

It’s not about politics.

It’s not about policy.

But the release of the information is a violation of trust that threatens the district’s integrity and its finances, not to mention the safety of students and employees.

And the release of information opens the door to a tsunami of litigation.

Any attorney worth their mettle might whip up a lawsuit in the blink of an eye.

Negligence?

FERPA violations?

Publicly disclosing private facts?

Disregard of any fiduciary duty?

They’re just some boxes that can be checked on a shopping list of legal delicacies that could show up on a courtroom menu.

The wheels of justice are already beginning to turn.

Teachers submitted 150 pages of formal complaints at the meeting.

One board member encouraged residents to pursue a class-action lawsuit.

Another member pointed out that the district’s legal costs — which taxpayers eventually shoulder — are already rising.

Civil damages could include losses due to identity theft, credit monitoring costs, emotional distress and possible punitive damages if a court rules Bradley’s action as reckless.

All because the district did something a court ordered it to do.

On the other hand, Bradley’s actions were a choice. He argues that the district should have told him about the potential sensitive information.

That’s akin to a high school kid who gets a speeding ticket on prom night blaming his parents for buying the car.

But the civil side is only part of the story.

One of those worth-their-mettle attorneys might find something criminal.

Publishing unredacted Social Security numbers?

Abusing authority?

Misuse of government documents?

Reckless endangerment?

It’s a good bet that saying “I didn’t know” would not make a difference.

At Thursday’s meeting, an attorney representing the school board opined that at this point the board could only censure Bradley — effectively giving him a snap on the wrist.

Later, she suggested some possible solution via the Pennsylvania School Code, but that more research would be needed.

Moving forward, the district will probably need to prepare for litigation.

It must work to rebuild a sense of trust in competent, engaged elected officials to guide its children.

But it can’t do that while a board member sits at the center of a fire they’re trying to extinguish.

David Bradley’s continued presence on the school board is a distraction and a daily reminder of the potential harm students and employees face.

Residents the board represent deserve a body focused on students, not scandals.

They deserve safety, not excuses.

And accountability, not deflection.

For the good of the district and the families it represents, the answer is simple.

David Bradley must resign.

Anything less would be remiss.

ED SOCHA | tneditor@tnonline.com

Ed Socha is a retired newspaper editor with more than 45 years’ experience in community journalism.