Personal information including Social Security numbers and home addresses of more than 2,500 Prince William County students, employees and volunteers was accidentally released on the Internet this summer.

Officials said Tuesday that the information was disclosed by a school employee. It was on the Internet for five weeks.

The data breach affected students who have attended or applied to Porter Traditional School in Woodbridge since 2004, as well as some parent volunteers and school employees. The breach also affected some students who attended Montclair Elementary School in Dumfries before the 2004-2005 school year.

An investigation revealed the school employee inadvertently released the information through a file-sharing program while working from home on a personal computer.