ED Launches K–12 Cybersecurity Government Coordinating Council

  • By Kate Lucariello
  • 04/23/24

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) has announced a new Government Coordinating Council (GCC) for the Education Facilities Subsector whose aim is to increase cybersecurity protection for K–12 schools.

The new council will be a coordination effort of federal, state, tribal, and local governments to protect schools against cyberthreats, ED said.

The new CISA subsector is one of 16 identified in the Obama Whitehouse's Presidential Policy Directive 21.

This GCC was formed as a response to the increasing number and kind of cyber threats targeting K–12 schools, ED said, such as "ransomware attacks that shut down schools, and data breaches that expose sensitive health, financial, and educational data on students, families, and staff."

The council will work to form "a more resilient and secure K–12 digital infrastructure through structured dialogue and shared best practices," ED added.

This new effort follows on the heels of First Lady Jill Biden's "Back to School Safely" K–12 Cybersecurity Summit in August 2023, which promoted a collaborative, "whole of government" approach to addressing to preventing, alleviating, and recovering from cyber threats.

ED said the council's first meeting brought together various stakeholders — IT professionals, superintendents, school principals, state agencies, and educational service agencies — to form objectives and strategies for going forward.

"The GCC embodies our commitment to ensuring the cybersecurity of our nation's schools," said Cindy Marten, deputy secretary of education. "This initiative represents a monumental step forward in formalizing the partnership between federal, state, and local educational leaders in protecting our K–12 critical infrastructure."

About the Author

Kate Lucariello is a former newspaper editor, EAST Lab high school teacher and college English teacher.

Featured

  • horizontal stack of U.S. dollar bills breaking in half

    ED Abruptly Cancels ESSER Funding Extensions

    The Department of Education has moved to close the door on COVID relief funding for schools, declaring that "extending deadlines for COVID-related grants, which are in fact taxpayer funds, years after the COVID pandemic ended is not consistent with the Department’s priorities and thus not a worthwhile exercise of its discretion."

  • laptop and fish hook

    Security Researchers Identify Generative AI 'Vishing' Attack

    A new report from researchers at Ontinue's Cyber Defense Center has identified a complex, multi-stage cyber attack that leveraged social engineering, remote access tools, and signed binaries to infiltrate and persist within a target network.

  • Ativion StudentKeeper

    New Platform Combines Content Filtering, Classroom Management, Device Management Tools

    Ed tech, remote access, and cybersecurity solution provider Ativion has introduced StudentKeeper, an all-in-one platform that encompasses digital safety management, filtering, and reporting tools for supporting and protecting students.

  • A child surrounded by glowing, fluid virtual patterns and holographic shapes, illuminated in a dark gradient environment of blue, purple, and pink.

    ClassVR Gets Expanded VR/AR Content Library

    Avantis Education has announced a new content library for its ClassVR virtual and augmented reality platform. Dubbed Eduverse+, the library features four content suites — EduverseAI, WildWorld, STEAM3D, and CareerHub — that can be tailored to suit a variety of educational levels.