Protecting Students With A PDF Builder for Schools

On October 2nd, 2022, one of the country’s biggest school districts experienced a data breach like nothing we’ve ever seen before. The LAUSD was hacked by a ransomware gang that threatened to put the information of employees and students on the dark web if they weren’t paid a lump sum by October 4th.

They released the data on Sunday, well before the deadline had come. This act has made it clearer than ever that protecting our children’s information is vitally important. And with a world that operates almost entirely online now, we need to find ways to protect information as we send it via email or direct message.

The best way to do so is through a PDF Builder.

What is a PDF Builder?

Many of us know that we can protect PDFs with passwords. But unfortunately, doing so with human-generated passwords still leaves us extremely vulnerable to hacks and breaches.

Instead, a PDF Builder will automatically generate a password to protect transcripts, report cards, and other sensitive information. Additionally, PDF Builders allow senders to track the delivery and open with real-time reporting, and will electronically confirm receipt within minutes.

A PDF builder goes beyond simply protecting information. It helps save money, time, and paper by transferring information electronically.

Benefits of electronic information exchange

Aside from the economic and environmental benefits of limiting paper use inside and out of the classroom, leveraging electronic information exchange through student portals will make life easier for parents, teachers, and school administrators.

Time savings

PDF builders allow teachers to send secure student information to parents by simply emailing or uploading it to a portal. Naturally, this will save them vast amounts of time. When using paper communication, teachers must manually create their grade books and separate report cards to send home.

Instead, the PDF Builder allows teachers to do the work of inputting grades once and will allow them to send that information to parents, administrators, and students all in one go.

Clarity and control

When schools use tools like a PDF builder to report and share grades, it ensures that there is no room for questions. If a paper report card or grade is lost, so is the grade. Plus, paper report cards or transcripts can easily be manipulated to show a different score.

Electronic records are much more difficult to lose and need to be consciously deleted. With a PDF builder, there’s an accessible record available at all times to anyone who needs it — parents, students, and teachers alike.

Simple, trackable delivery

In addition to sending student-specific information directly to parents via email, our SwiftK12 PDF Builder also allows you to track delivery and receipt. You’ll no longer have to worry about student interception of messages and reports.

Second, it’s also much easier to follow up with parents when you send records electronically.

Cost reduction

As many states cut funding to schools and districts, many superintendents, principals, and teachers are looking for ways to reduce costs without impacting students. Research has shown that when schools go completely paperless, they have the opportunity to save up to $277,530 per year.

This reduction in expenses means more money to spend on the students and education. And in a country with consistently decreased funding for public education, this is significant cost savings that could help support an entire district.

Implementing SwiftK12 PDF Builder in your school

When transitioning to a new system for communication, it’s important to be careful and intentional as you do so.

Using Rave Mobile Safety’s SwiftK12 PDF Builder, you can slowly implement a paperless system for things like report cards, transcripts, process reports, evaluations, and any student-related information.

First, evaluate your goals for your new paperless system. Then, working backwards from those goals, map out the steps you and your staff need to take to reach them.

At each step, carefully review security protocols to ensure student information is secure. If you’re ready to bring paperless communication into your school or district, please explore Rave Mobile Safety’s PDF Builder Module.