In the Matter of Robin Aeton and Trib Totsl Media v.

Forf Cherry SchoolIlistrict DocketNumberAP2009'0S28 (appealdiruissedwlthout prejudiceon Oct 16200g,aud no Final lletermination).

I' w. $cottfudisson,having becn dulysworn, first depose state: and 1. I ama certifiEdcomputer exarriner('C.C.E.'), andI arnthepresident Chief and Teohnical Ofiicer of bit'x'bit, LLC,acomptrterforensic investigation electronic and discovery firm. I havepersonal knowledge ofthe fast$setfordrin this affdayit and if calledasa wiftress, I couldandwouldtc$iry competently thereto. 2. Trib Total Media,Inc. hasretained bit-x-bit in this matterconceming whether certain public informationthatis elechonically stored maintained theFort CherrySohool and by District (Sort Cherry')' which is thesubjectoftherequest forinformationunderPennsylvania's Right to Know Law byjoumalistRobinActon,is ableto beexported providedby electonis means and to lvls, Acton. I have reviewed variousdocuments oxhibitsprovidedby thepartiesin this ttre and matterinaludingthe following; (a) Letterdated october13,2009from FalcoA. Muscarteto Terry I\4utchler, Executive Dlrcctorof Pennsylvania Office of OpenRscords, behalf on ofFort Cherry;

tll

(b) Lottr dated September2009 8, fium Ms.Actonto Paul Sroka, Fort Cherry's BusinEss Manager; (c) Approximately emails rine exchanged betrreen Sroka [ds. Mr. and Actondtuingthopaiiodseptember * september 2009 14 ls, regarding Ms. Acton'srsqus$g (d) tette"r dated Octobor 9,200T fromJack Okom, Information Technology Coordinator FortClrsrry MikeBnrngo; for to . and (f) kttsr date October 2009 13, fiomMr. Sroka lds.Actonre to ResponsoReqrrcst Records. to for 3. Based niy review theinformetion ou provided reseaxch I have of and perfonned, that it is my opinion thcelectmnic that information stored maiutained FottCherry the and by in systems "MUNIS''and which thesr$jest is ofMs. Acton's "Pentamatiorfn request ba may elecbonically orported copied electronic and to media asa CDfor review Ms.Aoton" such by 4" BoththeMIJNIS Peirtamation and systems electmnic are database accounting managemott systeml whic,h ttreirverynatute by enable ussr(FortCherry) "rehis\re" the to and *oxForf,eleotronic information contained withinthedatabases. ' 5. It is myunde'rstanding theinforuation ftom pmvided FortCherry that used the MUMS softrntare application mfixeitr general to ledger aocountlng aud systems 2005 &om to 2008. Contaryto thercprasentrations byFortCherry itecouusel, made and no'compilingl'or of is to to "rafonnatting" information necessaryroqpond Ms.Acton'e requestRather a,.queily" ofthe MLJMS detabsse bemade must setting forththeinformation berefrieved, the to i.e. (e) Letterdated October S,2009 &omC;ryher Cypher Mr. Srcka; and t$

T?J

2009. This.,refrieved,, erectronic information theneither exported can be to aprinter(asFortcherryhas offered do), to dovmloaded Excelforreviewin to eleckcnic (and fonn thencopied erectronic to media), or exported aporteble as docuurent (.pdflforreview. file 6' Theease rvhich with elechonic irformation beretieved nray fromtheMuNIs system, andthenexported review for is oneof its key sollingpoints to endussrs suchasFort cherry. Attached hereto ExhibitA is a copy as of &e information currenrly publistred MtJNIsod by its website www*mr{ris.coq. at Ihe MUIqISsystem descdbed ,,acomprehensivo is ffi j.ournal processi'g system" enabling to "tufieveup users oo yeare ton ofjournar history,... .dr'r down, to to subsidirydetailandodrillacross' related information'o ..so4 ,911 sun*endreporf,and .users download information Excel Office. to or 7' Ms Aoton's request forthe'tesieval"of certain elecbonio infonnation maintained by FortCherry theMUNISdatabase in is neither *creation a the , nor of document a request ,rau for external eleshonic report"asstated Mr. sroka. by similmly,the,.retieval,, of therequosted iuf,ormationnota 'tefonuattiug" is of theerechodc contained data in thcMtrNI$ database as advancedbyMnMuscaflte. TorespondtoMs.Acton'srquest,Fo*cherryneedonlyquery thedatabase re&ievo requested and &e informadon thatit may provided so be in electronic form toMs' Acton' Thefactthnt *'disconfinued Fortcherry ite software srpport fromMuNIS,n does notrender Mtrrrrs software the anditsfi'rodonarity inoperabre, Indeed, cherryadmig Fort 11u1 it st* h.s "access" &e data' to otherwisev/ourd boabre ,,printr it not to copies therequested of elecfronicdatn 8' with regatd the2005-06 to MtJNIsinfomlation, is unclear it fiom trroinfornnation provided Fortchttty what by is nrcant *vendor by archives.,, According tdr. okom,,,the to

informatiou specified Ms,Acton's in retter september of g,

t3l

software vendorarchives eachyeartlterefore data prior to the 2006-0? anything yearis unavailable elsstronically to review." Archivingof datadoosnot necessarily renda it unablsto and for be rcfrieved exported reviewby Ms. Acton. Iadeed, based Fort Cherryrs on repxesentation this informatlonis ableto be'lrinted'n maos it mustbeavailable that that in elechonic form. 9. It is my understanding the information providedby Fort Cherrythat since2008, from Fo* Cherryhasusedi'Pe,ntarnation'to mmagethogeneral ledgerandaceounting systensfor the sshooldlstrict, It is alsomy understanding that'?entamatlon" purohased SunGad* few was by yearsago,andthefirnctionsandfeaaresof Pentamation now underrrhat Suncardrefersto ale IGl2 softqaresystem. Feutamation/$un(lard asits PublicSeclsrs, PublioSector system flranaial andschooladrninistationsolution"with vadous f?entarnatiorr')is a'\rreb'based accounting.and {inanslalfunctions designod *orsate to efficienoies" the schooldistrict, Like for accountiug MUNIS, it is a databass system whichoffersvariousfeaturqs suchasrportingagloss and with MS Officc andAdobe. ($eeExtrlbitB, summarizing all modules is integrated Pentamation's featuesobtained ftom www.sungardps.com.) 10. Like tUsfvftnUs system, requested tlre electronio informationcanbe "rshieyed" from thePentarnation database maintained Fort Cherryandprovidedto Ms. Acton in by electonlofonn. Again,therequested eleafiodcinformation besitherexported a printer can to (asFort Cherry offeredto do),downloaded Excelfor reviewin eleotmnio hm to form (andthen copiedto eleesonic media),or exported a portablo as document (,pdf)for roview. lho file Pentamation systemhas multiple optionsforthe querying exporting and information "out of the suchasMorosoft $QL Server Cognos. Ths$e bot''thmugh module$ and providea moduleo queryinterface doesnot requireanyoist'omization. i$ a simplematterto nrn a queryfor that It

t4l

therelevantinformadon, theresults availablc and are "instantaneously." qqerywill rehieve The informationfrom thedatabase a manner in similarto opening filing cabinet retrieving a and specificfolders. And again,conharyto thercprasentations Fort Cherry,runninga querydoes of not rcquirereformattingconvorsion creation anynar datain Pentamation, moretharr or of any removinga folder&onrafilingcabinetwould reformat, convert orcreate aewpaperfolders in thefiling cabinet. I l. Somewhat is surprisingly thefactthat Fort Cherrywould ratherredaot hand by certainconfidentialinformatlon Somanestimated 20,000pegos ofprinted infonnation responsirre Ms, Acton's request, to instead ofuiring theautomated feahresthatareavailable in anydatabase systern eliminate "retrieval"of certaininformationsuchassocial$esruity to the aumbert,bankaccount numbers HIPAA relatedlnfonmation.With boththepentanration and andMUNI$ system$ suchcanfidentlat any information be eliminated can easilyftom the requested infonnationbyomittingthedate{ieldsthatcontainFERPAandHIPPAinformation, employee identification numbergsoclalseourity numbers, otherconfidential or indormation ftom thequory. 12. Finally, the sonclusion poviding therequested that information Excel spreadsheet in form wouldrenderthe datacapable being"alteredandlormanipulated, of jeopardiziug" theroby its*finanoial integrity" is withouttee,bnioalsupport ormerit. Anyelecnonicinformation produced a spreadsheet anyothereleokonic via or fonnatcanbe easdy validated throughthe use of digital signaturcs. digital signature "hashvaluen'is A or commonly usedin ediscovery proes$es forensisexaminations veri$ ttratelechonic and to informationis anexactduplicate of originaldata. Any cortcems Fort CJrerry rcgarding that he$ elechonic information beingattered canbo easilyaddrsssed genuatinga digital signatrno anyelectronio by for documents it

I5l

produces,If a question arises regarding validityof anelechonic the documenta new hashvalue may be generated compared the orighal hash and with raluo.

W.$cottfudisson

Subscribed swomto this &day and

of Octobero 2009

NotaryPublio

Mlntbcr, Farnryluntr erioti6n-&-fi0friffi

t6l