1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

I am writing as a 7th grade science teacher at Ohio Virtual Academy to express my deep concern about reports that approximately 20 individuals connected to Elon Musk’s staff have begun working within the U.S. Department of Education, gaining access to sensitive federal student aid systems containing the personal information of millions of students. If true, this raises serious legal and ethical concerns regarding data privacy, conflicts of interest, and federal hiring protocols. As a teacher, I work with students across Ohio, one-third of whom have an IEP and the majority of whom come from low-income backgrounds. These students rely on federal protections to ensure their educational data is secure and their access to funding remains fair and transparent. Unauthorized access to these systems could compromise their privacy, financial security, and ability to receive aid. Given the potential violations of FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) and FISMA (Federal Information Security Modernization Act), I urge you to: 1. Publicly address whether these reports are accurate and demand transparency from the Department of Education. 2. Call for an independent investigation into how these individuals were granted access and whether proper security protocols were followed. 3. Ensure that Ohio’s students are protected from any misuse of their personal data and that federal education programs remain secure from private interference. Ohio’s students, parents, and educators deserve answers. I ask you to take immediate action to investigate this issue and oppose any efforts to weaken federal oversight of student aid and education data protections. Please let me know where you stand on this issue. I look forward to hearing back from you.