FRANKLIN, Tenn. -- Williamson County school officials Friday promised free credit protection for children whose identity might have been compromised.

Video: Personal Info Of 5,000 Children May Be Compromised

The school system made the announcement to parents at a news conference.

The announcement came after Thursday's revelation that Social Security numbers and other personal information of 4,000 children were posted on the Internet by former Student Assessment Director Chris Nugent.

The school system on Friday upped the number of those students possibly affected to about 5,000 children.

A school representative said that all second-graders were affected as well as anyone who took the ACT test last year.

The representative said that another 10,000 students had their names and test scores placed on the Internet.

The school system said it also plans to make changes to ensure that the same scenario doesn’t recur.

The school system said that Nugent did not have permission and that he told no one he was using the information for a college project. He had placed the information on a flash drive.

The school system said it took a year for the problem to surface because no one knew that Nugent had used the information. Nugent also said he didn’t realize he had uploaded the information.

A student noticed the problem while he was surfing on the Internet and found his own information.

School Superintendent Rebecca Sharber said she found out about the security breach on June 26 but didn't tell parents until July 9 because she wanted to have her facts straight.

"After what happened in Davidson County and at Tennessee Tech, what in the world are Social Security numbers of students doing on thumb drives anywhere in the system?" asked reporter Dennis Ferrier.

"They certainly shouldn’t be, and we had no reason to believe that they would be," Sharber said.

Some parents said they wish she would have acted faster.

"I’m madder than hell. I was told it was third through eighth grade, then I get a call this morning. My son just graduated from Independence High School in Williamson County. Now I found out that it’s second-graders and the kids that took the ACT last year. So, I go online, my son’s been breached. He’s getting ready to go to college, so now I’ve got to go through all these processes of getting his identity cleared," said Carrie Stout.

Some school board members also said they wish the call would have gone out earlier.

"Well, I would have liked to have known earlier. It’s a very disconcerting situation. Whether or not to put that information sooner, parents could have or could not have done something different was their decision to make," said Terry Leve.

Nugent resigned amid the incident. In February, Nugent was arrested in Nashville on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Police said he was also charged with resisting arrest after he fought the arresting officer and then fought again in booking.

Officials said on Thursday that they believe as many as 15 percent of students who were in third grade through eighth grade in 2006 may be affected, but later determined the numbers were second-graders and ACT participants.

A phone message was sent out to parents late on Wednesday night about the issue.

Brentwood's Cynthia Badger said she couldn't believe what happened.

"I was livid. I was enraged. I was on the phone with every friend I could get in contact with letting them know this happened. It’s just a rage," she said.

Parents said they also hope that the school board will step in and tighten the policy about student information.

The incident is also a violation of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. The federal government could withhold funding, but they never have.