Bedfordshire Council made student information available online.

After publishing the personal information of dozens of special educational needs (SEND) students, a council has been accused of “incompetence.”

On Monday, Central Bedfordshire Council responded to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request with the information.

The response was made public on a website that assists people with FOI requests.

The council has issued an apology and has filed a complaint with the Information Commissioner.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) stated the council had informed them of the issue, and the data was being reviewed.

‘Catastrophic error’

The Central Bedfordshire SEND action group, which made the FOI request for school seats for SEND youngsters for the upcoming September terms, said the information was “very concerning.”

The information was taken down when the group alerted the council.

“We were extremely worried, yet unsurprised, to learn about the data leak,” the action group said.

It’s just the latest example of incompetence and disdain for the law when it comes to SEND families.”

“Our officers worked quickly to get the information removed,” a council spokeswoman stated.

We sincerely apologize to everyone who has been impacted, and we are in the process of contacting all of the families directly to express our regret.”