School Officials Say Data on Internet Porn Users Was Deleted

School officials say they have been unable to determine who used computers at school campuses to access pornographic Internet sites last year because the system deleted those identities each month.

Citing child safety, parents called for an independent investigation after computer records were released earlier this month showing that pornographic sites were accessed at schools during a six-month period beginning in July 1997.

But Pasadena Unified spokeswoman Betsy Richman said there are no records of who accessed the sites and when because the district’s computer system deletes such data every 30 days, she said.

A new filter system to prevent access to pornographic sites was installed last month and the district now keeps copies of Internet access records, she said. Several students have been caught accessing such sites.

But parent Rene Amy, who in December made the initial request for the computer records, questioned whether records from December were destroyed illegally after he made a request for them.

Richman said the district did not deliberately destroy the records, but that by the time officials realized the records would be deleted it was too late to save them.