Meeting in Downingtown after personal-data theft

In response to the recent theft of thousands of school files containing personal information, allegedly by a Downingtown West High School ninth grader, the Downingtown district is hosting a "Cyber Information Session" tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Lionville Middle School.

Scheduled speakers include electronic-crime experts in law enforcement and academia. Downingtown Superintendent Sandra Griffin and district technology director Buck Jones will also speak. The school is at 550 W. Uwchlan Ave. in Uwchlan Township.

The district was shaken earlier this month by the discovery that a 15-year-old allegedly used hacking software to access district files, using a school computer. The student obtained data with more than 41,000 adult taxpayers' names and Social Security numbers and more than 15,000 students' names and personal information, police said. He has been charged as a juvenile with three felonies and a misdemeanor.

- Dan Hardy