"Burdened Beginnings" is a series examining the problem of child identity theft. Other stories in the series can be found here.
In El Paso, Texas, a hacker broke into the computer network of a local school district, finding a database of about 63,000 students' Social Security numbers.
In Wake County, N.C., school officials accidentally mailed out about 5,000 postcards with students' Social Security numbers printed on the front.
And in Palatine, Ill., two laptops belonging to a state contractor were stolen from a car, divulging the Social Security numbers of nearly 8,000 special education students.
These three incidents of vital digits surrendered to the winds, among dozens in recent years, highlight what experts say is a growing vulnerability to identity theft among children. Across the country, schools have become conduits for children's pristine Social Security numbers, which are increasingly falling into the hands of credit-hungry identity thieves.
Read more: In Push For Data Schools Expose Students To Identity Theft
