Two information technology employees of the Lower Merion School District have been placed on leave while an investigation continues into the use of remote surveillance software on student laptops, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer. The two people authorized to activate the software—Michael Perbix, a network technician, and Carol Cafiero, information systems coordinator—reportedly were put on paid leave last week while lawyers and technicians examine how the remote system was used. Lawyers for Cafiero and Perbix said their clients did nothing wrong. Perbix and Cafiero turned on the remote software only when a laptop was reported missing, they said—and administrators knew what they were doing. Their lawyers said the use of the software was no secret. On at least two occasions, the district turned over pictures and other information to Lower Merion police so they could help track stolen laptops. The district’s use of the software touched off a national furor when the parents of Harriton High School sophomore Blake Robbins, 15, filed a federal lawsuit on Feb. 16 saying that school officials used the remote-control software to invade his privacy…
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