Chicago Public Schools' printing contractor mistakenly mails personal information of former school employees

All Printing & Graphics Inc., a printing contractor for Chicago Public Schools (CPS), reports that it mistakenly mailed a list of names, Social Security numbers, and home addresses of approximately 1,740 former school employees in a packet of health-insurance information it sent to them. The printer says it did not realize the personal information was contained in an e-mail from CPS requesting the printer to send open enrollment information to former employees still receiving health-care coverage. "I think it's just human error," says Ralph Fowlkes, All Printing & Graphics Inc.’s general manager. "It's not that anybody blatantly tried to do anything. ... We certainly apologize for the mix-up." Some former employees fear the information could be delivered to the wrong address or end up in the wrong hands, leaving them vulnerable to fraud. According to CPS spokesman Michael Vaughn, the printer mistakenly sent the spreadsheet that was used to generate the mailing labels, thinking it was a list of health-care providers. He says CPS has already started working to correct the error and will immediately send out a follow-up letter that will formally apologize for the mistake, thank recipients who might have already shredded the list, and instruct those who have not to mail it back in a postage-paid envelope. The letter will include information about credit card and identity theft protection. The Chicago Teachers Union has issued a statement expressing concern about the "intrusion on the privacy" of its members. "We are outraged and extremely disappointed that the Board of Education did not take greater precaution in protecting the privacy of these individuals," the statement reads. "We will have to look into the potential of legal action pertaining to this issue."