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Discarded Test Papers Behind Bed-Stuy School Reveal Student Information

 Parents at the Eubie Blake School were upset to learn student names were accidentally released.
Discarded Papers at Eubie Blake School Reveal Student Information
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BEDFORD-STUYVESANT — An elementary and middle school in Bed-Stuy dumped confidential student information onto a public sidewalk.

Parents at P.S. 25 and M.S. 534, the Eubie Blake School at 787 Lafayette Ave., were disturbed to find tests featuring their children's full names and grade levels had been thrown into the street behind the school.

DNAinfo New York first learned of the incident when a tipster sent in photos of the papers littering Kosciuszko Street between Throop Avenue and Marcus Garvey Boulevard.

"I was shocked to see student tests and schoolwork on the streets with their names clearly legible," said the anonymous tipster, who found the papers on Sunday. "These papers really shouldn't have been there."

By Monday, many of the papers had been picked up or blown away by the wind, though at least six tests and assignments prominently displaying student names could be found lying on the sidewalk.

It was not immediately known how the papers found their way to the street, but on Monday clear plastic garbage bags containing school papers sat on the sidewalk outside the school.

All school records must be shredded before they are discarded, according to the Department of Education. The principals at the school will remind staff of the shredding policy, a DOE spokeswoman said.

Principals for both P.S. 25 and M.S. 534 declined to comment, and middle school staff members said they were unaware of how the papers found their way to the sidewalk.

Special recycling boxes within the school are used specifically for paper, but staff members said they were unsure of what the school's custodian did with the papers once collected.

Parents at the Eubie Blake School were upset when told of the mistake.

A frustrated Nefatima Darns, 28, said she's confronted the school in the past about improperly discarding student papers on the sidewalk.

"That happens every year," Darns said. "That's vital information that's not supposed to be shared with everybody."

Both schools are underperforming, according to DOE standards. The middle and elementary schools received a C and a D on their last progress reports, respectively.

Parent Paulette Moorehead, 51, said this is only the latest mistake the school has made.

"This school is horrible," she said. "I think it's a safety issue, and the parents should receive a message saying something happened."