The U.S. Department of Education on Aug. 7 unveiled plans to establish a Government Coordinating Council that it says “will coordinate activities, policy and communications between federal, state, local, tribal and territorial governments that strengthen the cyber defenses and resilience of K-12 schools.”
“Let’s face it: In today’s digital age, our students and their teachers will increasingly use technology in the classroom. … But to make the most of these benefits, we must effectively manage the risks,” said U.S. Education Secretary Dr. Miguel A. Cardona in a press release issued Aug. 7. “The Department of Education has listened to the field about the importance of K-12 cybersecurity, and today we are coming together to recognize this and indicate our next steps.”
The forthcoming GCC will be an important first step in the U.S. DOE’s strategy “to protect schools and districts from cybersecurity threats and for supporting districts in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from cybersecurity attacks,” according to the release.
Meanwhile, the U.S. DOE has released three K-12 Digital Infrastructure Briefs — “Defensible & Resilient,” “Adequate and Future Proof” and “Privacy Enhancing, Interoperable, and Useful” — that were co-authored by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).