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Our principal was selling students' personal information to marketing companies and keeping the money. When I tried to expose him, he destroyed my college recommendations, tanked my GPA by changing grades, and threatened my parents' jobs to silence me.
I mentioned it to friends, and everyone had similar stories. My friend Marcus was getting debt consolidation offers addressed to his school mailbox. My classmate Sarah received college recruitment materials that referenced her exact GPA and test scores.
The breaking point came when my mom got a call from a "college consultant" who knew I was interested in marine biology—something I'd only discussed in private counseling sessions with Principal Davidson.
I decided to investigate. One afternoon, I was helping in the main office when I overheard Principal Davidson on a phone call that made my blood run cold.
"The new batch is ready for transfer," he said quietly. "Same format as last time—SSNs, addresses, family income, GPA data. Yes, these are all 16-18 year olds, prime target demographic."
I pretended to organize files while listening to him negotiate selling student data for "fifty per record."
I created a fake email and posed as a marketing company. Within 24 hours, they responded with a price list: $50 per student record for "comprehensive packages" including SSN, address, GPA, test scores, and family income.
During a school board meeting, I asked Principal Davidson directly if our school sold student information to marketing companies.
"Absolutely not," he lied. "Student privacy is our top priority."
I submitted a Freedom of Information Act request for all contracts involving student data.
That's when my nightmare began.
Three days later, I was called to Principal Davidson's office. He was furious.
"I know what you're trying to do," he said. "Stop. You're playing with things you don't understand."
He threatened my college prospects if I continued investigating.
My grades were mysteriously changed - A's became C's and B's. My GPA plummeted from 4.0 to 3.2.
My parents were devastated. MIT had already accepted me with a full scholarship based on my 4.0 GPA.
My English teacher pulled me aside after class.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "Principal Davidson told me not to write your college recommendation letter. He said you were 'having behavioral issues.'"
The harassment escalated when my dad got called into his supervisor's office. Principal Davidson had contacted his boss claiming I was "spreading false allegations."
My parents begged me to drop the investigation. "It's not worth destroying our family over," my mom cried.
But I couldn't let him get away with selling 1,500 students' personal information.
Principal Davidson's retaliation became systematic. He moved me out of AP classes, blocked me from academic competitions, and had me removed from National Honor Society for "character issues."
He contacted admissions offices at several universities, including MIT, expressing "concerns about my integrity and recent academic decline."
I watched my future disintegrate while this man protected his criminal enterprise.
The FOIA documents finally arrived. They confirmed everything—dozens of contracts with data brokers, payments totaling $73,850 over two years.
I took everything to the FBI's cybercrime division. The investigation revealed he had sold personal information from over 1,500 students across three years.
When he was arrested at school during lunch period, I felt relief and terror. Students cheered, but my transcript was destroyed, my college prospects ruined.
He got 3 years in federal prison.
MIT rescinded my scholarship due to my "academic decline." I had to take a gap year and rebuild my applications.