On Friday, Oct. 8, President Biden signed the K–12 Cybersecurity Act of 2021 into law. The act comes in response to growing data security incidents impacting K–12 schools in recent years, including a dramatic rise in ransomware and other forms of malware.
Alachua County Public Schools in Florida has received the first grant under the Biden administration's Project to Support America's Families and Educators (Project SAFE) program, which is designed to compensate schools that lose some portion of their funding as a result of COVID-19 policies that come into conflict with state policies.
Student device monitoring disproportionately affects kids who cannot afford their own devices and, according to a new report, poses threats to student privacy (such as LGBTQI+ students who might be "outed") and creates a significant chilling effect on student expression.
The United States Department of Education (ED) has approved school plans from four states for the use of American Rescue Plan ESSER funds, distributing about $1.84 billion in remaining funds.
School districts whose funds are being withheld by their states for implementing mask bans (or for other measures taken to prevent the spread of coronavirus) will see some relief from the federal government. A new grant program, announced Sept. 9 by the United States Department of Education (ED), is expected to open in the "coming weeks."
The nonprofit K12 Security Information Exchange (K12 SIX) has released its highly anticipated cybersecurity standards of practice for K–12 schools and districts, a companion to the K12 SIX Essential Cybersecurity Protections released in August. The group also released a free self-assessment tool for information technology and information security leaders.
The majority of Americans now support masks in schools — support that coincides with the wide-held belief that the worst of the pandemic is not yet over.
More K–12 educators are spending their own money on classroom essentials like books and other learning materials, according to a new survey. At the same time, most are not being given a say in how American Rescue Plan funds are being allocated.
Today, the Centers for Disease Control issued new guidance for K–12 schools, calling for indoor masking and physical distancing for everybody, whether or not they've been vaccinated.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 08/05/21
A new report noted that students on the whole did make gains during the 2020–2021 school year. However, those gains were lower than seen in previous years. Underrepresented groups and students in high-poverty areas were disproportionately impacted negatively by the public policy response to the pandemic.