On Tuesday, Nov. 28, Liberty Central School District Superintendent Dr. Patrick Sullivan sent the following message to Liberty families.

---

Dear Liberty families,

Late Tuesday afternoon, Nov. 28, the Liberty Central School District was informed that there was a cybersecurity incident reported by our local BOCES that could involve personally identifiable information of some of our elementary and middle school students who have used Sphero robots in class.  

Sphero is a STEAM company where educators and students login to an account to interact with Sphero robots. The scope of the potentially affected data is still being determined as each district using the Sphero service could have configured their information differently. Depending on the setup method used, it’s possible that no Liberty student’s data was entered into the system.

The incident took place around September 2023 and was reported to the New York State Department of Education. Although there is no evidence at this time suggesting misuse of the aforementioned information, we believe it is essential to keep you informed about this disclosure. The district will be following up individually with any families whose students may have been affected.  

Safeguarding educational data is a top priority. Our staff undergoes training in data security and privacy, and our systems are equipped with multiple layers of control to protect your child’s educational records. We have received assurances that Sphero has taken necessary measures to address the incident and is reinforcing security measures to prevent similar occurrences. 

I appreciate your patience as we wait for more information and will provide an update when we have more to share. 

Sincerely, 

Dr. Patrick Sullivan

Superintendent