Report finds school district maintained an inadequate fire alarm system and procedures
BY SHARON NOGUCHI
San Jose Mercury News, Calif.
Updated: 06-24-2011 8:38 am
June 24--The San Jose Unified School District should pledge to install automatic fire alarms and sprinklers in all remodels of its schools and offices, the Santa Clara County civil grand jury recommends.
In a report that looked into July's devastating fire at Trace Elementary School in San Jose, the grand jury concluded that the district maintained an inadequate fire alarm system and procedures. The Trace classroom pod did not have automatic alarms or sprinklers. And the private alarm-monitoring company sent an email to district officials, rather than calling them, when detectors sensed a fire at Trace. The delay meant the fire burned at least 23 minutes before firefighters -- alerted by neighbors who smelled smoke -- arrived. By then, the building was engulfed in flames. It was destroyed, a loss of $15 million.
Sprinklers or an automatic alarm could have reduced the damage, the report noted. But, as this newspaper reported in the fall, the district had taken advantage of a loophole in state law that allows exemptions for locally funded school projects.
A state law enacted after a 1997 near-tragic fire at Green Oaks School in East Palo Alto requires automatic alarms and sprinklers. San Jose Unified claimed that Trace's 2007 remodel was funded by local bond funds, without any state money.
San Jose Unified Superintendent Vincent Matthews said he would study the grand jury's findings and pledged to work for "a safe and secure environment."
The
grand jury report was hailed by Chief Harold Schapelhouman of the Menlo Park Fire Protection District, who relentlessly had lobbied for the sprinkler law, known as the Green Oaks Fire Protection Act. "San Jose Unified should be the first one to commit to not using this exemption," he said. "You don't wait forever to improve safety."
In rebuilding the Trace classrooms this year, the school district has acceded to parents' pressure to install sprinklers.
"You would think that would be standard across the board," Trace parent Cheryl vonAppen said Thursday. She agreed with the grand jury's recommendation to close the loophole.
While the jury criticized the fire alarms and procedures, it praised the district's leadership in recovering from the fire, including quickly razing the burned-out building's remains, erecting portable classrooms and keeping the community informed.
Two San Jose teenagers have been charged in connection with the fire, which was blamed on arson.
The grand jury, whose recommendations are not binding, suggested the San Jose Unified board sign a resolution that Schapelhouman and the Menlo Park fire district plan to circulate, and agree to install automatic alarms and fire sprinklers in all construction and modernization projects regardless of funding source.
The San Jose Unified school board was scheduled to discuss the report at its Thursday night meeting.
Board member Veronica Grijalva Lewis said she was waiting to hear more information before making up her mind. "There's pros and cons on fire sprinklers," she said.
Former UCM student pleads guilty in computer hacking conspiracy
Man reportedly participated in scheme while he was a student and community advisor at UCM
By The Sedalia Democrat, Sedalia, Mo.
Updated: 06-24-2011 8:40 am
June 24--A former University of Central Missouri student pleaded guilty Wednesday to his role in a computer hacking conspiracy, according to Beth Phillips, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri.
Daniel J. Fowler, 21, of Kansas City, pleaded guilty to charges contained in a November 2010 federal indictment. In addition to the computer hacking conspiracy, Fowler also pleaded guilty to one count of computer intrusion causing damage.
Fowler admitted that he participated in an unlawful computer hacking scheme while he was a student and community advisor at UCM from March 2009 to March 2010.
Conspirators gained unlawful and unauthorized access to the UCM computer network, which allowed them to view and download large databases of faculty, staff, alumni and student information, transfer money to their student accounts, and attempt to change grades. According to Phillips, they sought to profit by attempting to sell lists of the personal information of faculty, staff, alumni and students to others.
Fowler admitted that they used a thumb drive to download and install the virus on at least one university administrator's computer, monitoring his computer activity to capture his username and password. Conspirators also obtained the username and password of a residence hall director, Fowler admitted, and used that information to exploit the university's computer system to conduct financial transactions, in an attempt to unlawfully credit their student accounts with UCM funds.
Phillips also reported conspirators used the identities of fellow students, along with their university computer network permissions, to gain access to various portions of the computer network they would otherwise not have access to, which enabled them to mask their activities and mislead university authorities as to the identities of those conducting the attacks on the computer network.
After learning that a co-conspirator had been arrested, Fowler admitted, he encrypted and destroyed computer evidence that he thought could be used against him.
Under federal statutes, Fowler could face a sentence of up to 15 years in federal prison without parole, plus a fine up to $500,000 and an order of restitution. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
0 comments:
Post a Comment