According to CPO Magazine, there is a ransomware attack every 14 seconds in the U.S. But, did you know that cyber attacks on schools tripled in 2019? In fact, since 2016, the education industry “has been the most targeted industry for ransomware attacks.”

With schools becoming increasingly more reliant on technology, how can you help protect your school from a cyber attack? Employees need to understand what the correct process is for communicating data and how to avoid risky behaviors.

We recently published a Texas Cybersecurity Awareness for Employees course that has been approved by the Texas Department of Information Resources (TX DIR) to meet the new HB 3834 cybersecurity training requirements.

HB 3834 Cybersecurity Training Requirements

• All employees who have access to a state or local government computer system or database are required to complete annually a 2-hour certified cybersecurity training course.
• The initial training deadline is June 14, 2020.

If you are a current SafeSchools Staff Training customer, your subscription includes this new course.

Other Texas-specific SafeSchools Training courses include:

1. Bullying: Recognition & Response
2. Child Abuse: Mandatory Reporting
3. Child Abuse: Mandatory Reporting (Spanish)
4. General Ethics in the Workplace
5. Health Emergencies: Diabetes Awareness (HB 984)

View our full course library of state-specific courses.

Members of the TASB Risk Management Fund also receive access to a complimentary bundle of SafeSchools Training safety and compliance courses based on lines of coverage. Visit our TASB RMF partner page to learn more.

If you are not yet a SafeSchools Training customer and would like to learn more about the Texas Cybersecurity Awareness for Employees course and the SafeSchools Training System, please contact us at 1-800-434-0154 or [email protected]. Free trials are available!

When it comes to school safety, most people think about the physical safety of students and staff on school campuses. Without question, preparing for and preventing incidents of school violence is critical for school administrators. According to the non-profit Educator’s School Safety Network, there were 3,380 threats and incidents of violence reported in K-12 schools in the 2017-2018 school year, up 62% from the previous year. While preparing students, staff, and campuses for a physical attack is crucial, administrators must also focus increased energy and resources on preparing for and preventing a cybersecurity attack.

The eSchool News K-12 School Safety Guide, explains that schools are often targets of cybercriminals because they house an “abundance of personally-identifiable information (PII) on students and staff.” The K-12 Cybersecurity Resource Center reports that there have been 688 publicly-disclosed cybersecurity incidents involving U.S. public schools since 2016. Breaches or hacks, ransomware attacks, or other cyber incidents can disrupt school operations, result in unauthorized disclosures of data, and cost schools a significant amount of money. As teaching and learning becomes more digital, school networks become more susceptible to cyberattacks, and school leaders are urged to be more proactive in protecting sensitive data and their networks.

Preventing Cyberattacks

School technology administrators and security teams must focus on creating and maintaining a well-designed security architecture to prevent cyberattacks, utilize monitoring solutions to quickly identify and address attacks against their institution’s network, and continually monitor the stability of their networks and technology solutions. In addition, as teachers and students use more technologies in the classroom, and since many cybersecurity breaches occur because of poor security practices, staff and students must be educated on the types of cyberattacks, where they can come from, and how to prevent them.

How SafeSchools Can Help – More than Just Compliance Training

Thousands of K-12 administrators trust SafeSchools Training to help manage and deliver important staff training to help comply with important state and federal mandates, including OSHA, Title IX, Mandatory Reporting, FERPA, and more.  But with hundreds of expert-authored courses, SafeSchools Training offers much more than just compliance training, including an entire section of courses focused on Information Technology.

Key SafeSchools Training courses that can help your staff understand their important role in preventing a cybersecurity attack include:

• Browser Security Basics
• Cybersecurity Overview
• Email and Messaging Safety
• Password Security Basics
• Protection Against Malware

Courses are authored by veteran K-12 technology expert, Pete Just, who has served as the Chief Technology Officer at MSD Wayne Township in Indiana for over 10 years.

Our new SafeSchools Training Student Courses solution also includes a course focused on Digital Citizenship for students in grades 9-12, with a course for students in grades 6-8 coming in early 2020.

A Full Suite to Help Manage Safety in Your District 

In addition to online training, the SafeSchools Suite includes solutions to help you prevent and manage safety incidents across your campuses.

• Anonymous Tip Reporting – Students, staff, and parents can confidentially report tips and safety concerns, including bullying, harassment, mental health concerns, weapons and threats of violence to administration 24/7 via mobile app, phone, text, email, and website. Staff are immediately notified of tips and can immediately follow up, bring in law enforcement if necessary, and manage incidents to resolution.
• Incident Management – Administrators can efficiently collect, manage, analyze and act upon comprehensive student and employee incident data. Efficiently manage safety incidents, injuries, and accidents for employees, students, and visitors in one centralized system.

To learn more about any of our K-12 safety solutions to help you manage both physical safety and cybersecurity in 2020, please contact us at [email protected], 1-800-434-0154, or request a free trial.

Over 1.5 million people worldwide become victims of cybercrime every day. Educational institutions are no exception, as these recent news headlines confirm: 

• School District Delays Classes Again, Citing Malware Hack
• District Hacked, 10 Years’ Worth of Data Stolen
• High School Safety Includes Protecting Teens’ Data

It’s important to educate your staff on safe internet practices to help protect them, and your school organization, from becoming the victim of a cybersecurity attack. Here are some general cybersecurity safety tips:

• Never disable browser security for increasing functionality or ease of use.
• Avoid websites that want to install software that you didn’t ask for.
• Avoid clicking on phishing emails.
• Avoid clicking on links that you’re not sure you can trust/look suspicious.
• Avoid downloading apps, extensions, or items that aren’t familiar to you.
• Use antivirus software, and enable security on your computer/laptop.
• Enable auto updates or routinely update your operating system and browser software.
• Always protect your usernames and secure passwords.
• Always be on guard when you interact with strangers online and avoid oversharing.
• Always be on the look out for habits or actions that might place you and your information at risk.
• Control your internet security and privacy settings and check them regularly.
• Consider adjusting the security settings of your browser, such as blocking or limiting cookies.

How SafeSchools Can Help

The SafeSchools Online Training System includes courses to help educate your staff on cybersecurity, including: 

1. Browser Security Basics
2. Cybersecurity Overview
3. Email & Messaging Safety
4. Password Security Basics
5. Protection Against Malware

And our new Student Safety Training includes a Digital Citizenship course, with a module specifically dedicated to helping students learn how to protect themselves and others online.

With preventative education, training, and preparedness, we hope that we can all work together to make this school year the safest on record.