CoSN Launches Campaign Advocating for Congressional Support for K-12 Cybersecurity

CoSN, the professional association for K-12 ed tech leaders, has launched a national advocacy campaign urging Congress to maintain federal support for cybersecurity assistance in K-12 education. The campaign will coordinate outreach through e-mails, phone calls, letters, and social media, and includes a web form that stakeholders can use to submit a statement of concern to their members of Congress.

"Recent actions by the Trump Administration have eliminated key funding for school-focused cybersecurity initiatives through the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) — including support from the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) — while also cutting staff at the Department of Education's Office of Educational Technology," CoSN said in a news announcement. "These actions strip away critical resources that help schools defend against ransomware and other cyber threats."

The form automatically populates with the sender's Congressional representatives based on home address, outlines the cybersecurity challenges that schools and districts will face without federal support, and urges Congress to:

  • Restore funding for CISA's K-12 cybersecurity technical support, including MS-ISAC's full range of cybersecurity services;
  • Reinstate the statutorily required Office of Educational Technology staff to provide continued ed tech leadership and support, including cybersecurity assistance; and
  • Increase federal investments in cybersecurity initiatives supporting schools, especially those in rural or underfunded communities.

"This is not a partisan issue — it's about protecting students and keeping classrooms safe," commented CoSN CEO Keith Krueger, in a statement. "Cybercriminals are increasingly targeting schools, forcing districts to make difficult decisions and putting students' learning and data at risk. We need Congress to act now to ensure schools have the resources they need to stay safe."

For more information, visit the CoSN site.

About the Author

Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  •  classroom scene with students gathered around a laptop showing a virtual tour interface

    Discovery Education Announces Spring Lineup of Free Virtual Field Trips

    This Spring, Discovery Education is collaborating with partners such as Warner Bros., DC Comics, National Science Foundation, NBA, and more to present a series of free virtual field trips for K-12 students.

  • glowing padlock shape integrated into a network of interconnected neon-blue lines and digital nodes, set against a soft, blurred geometric background

    3 in 4 Administrators Expect a Security Incident to Impact Their School This Year

    In an annual survey from education identity platform Clever, 74% of administrators admitted that they believe a security incident is likely to impact their school system in the coming year. That's up from 71% who said the same last year.

  • 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."

  • pattern of icons for math and reading, including a pi symbol, calculator, and open book

    HMH Launches Personalized Path Solution

    Adaptive learning company HMH has introduced HMH Personalized Path, a K-8 ELA and math product that combines intervention curriculum, adaptive practice, and assessment for students of all achievement levels.