Susan Brown-Clukey

CYSE425W

Professor Bora Aslan

The necessity and urgency of including cybersecurity as part of the standards of learning for school-aged children is due to the growing threat of cyberattacks that target students and schools. If an attack occurred, it would create significant privacy concerns, disrupt education delivery, and compromise sensitive personal data, leading to political pressure to address these issues through policy changes and increased funding for cybersecurity education initiatives in K-12 systems. 

Critical reasons for political implications: 

Student Privacy Concerns:

With the substantial amount of sensitive student data, students are highly vulnerable to cybercriminals. Whether it’s a data breach caused by staff or students, the aftermath could be severe, leading to financial fraud, damage to students’ reputations, and even identity theft.

Disruption of Education:

A cyberattack can potentially significantly disrupt school operations. It can impact teaching and learning, restrict access to learning platforms, and potentially lead to demands for accountability from parents and the community.

Public Perception:

Any major cyber-attack involving student data could lead to distrust in the school district’s ability to protect the student’s sensitive data, leading to political pressure for improved security measures. 

Political Actions that might be taken: 

Legislation Mandating Cybersecurity Education:

Legislation must be introduced mandating schools to incorporate cybersecurity education into their curriculum at various grade levels. This is a proactive step towards protecting our students and schools from cyber threats and creating government ACTS and task forces such as CIPA and ICAC. Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA)was enacted by Congress in 2000 to address concerns about children’s access to obscene or harmful content over the Internet. Schools and libraries that receive funding from the CIPA E-rate program must follow specific Internet policies that address and certify that they comply with the following: 1. Minors access to inappropriate matters on the Internet. 2. The safety and security of minors when using electronic mail, chat rooms, and other forms of direct electronic communications. 3. Unauthorized access, including so-called “hacking” and other unlawful activities by minors online. 4. Unauthorized disclosure, use, and dissemination of personal information regarding minors. 5. Measures restricting minors’ access to materials harmful to them. ((CIPA), n.d.)

The Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program (ICAC) was developed in 1998 in response to the ever-increasing number of children and teenagers using the Internet. The ICAC Task Force has helped state and local law enforcement agencies in approximately 184,700 investigations, leading to 10,800 arrests in 2023. In 2024, ICAC made over 3,000 arrests and over 4,100 online safety presentations and events in the first quarter alone. (Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force Program, n.d.)

Funding for Cybersecurity Initiatives:

Schools could and should receive increased funding to train their educators better in cybersecurity and improve their network security infrastructure. The FCC media released information regarding a “Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program,” which would award up to $200 million to selected participants over three years to fund universal support with cybersecurity services and equipment to protect schools and libraries. (FCC, fcc.gov cybersecurity pilot program, 2024)

Cybersecurity Awareness Campaigns:

By launching and conducting various awareness campaigns, such as those of the government agencies and private agencies listed below, they will not only raise public awareness but also educate parents and students about online safety and responsible digital behavior. 

CISA.gov, “The CISA Cybersecurity Awareness Program is a national public awareness effort aimed at increasing the understanding of cyber threats and empowering the American public to be safer and more secure online. Cybersecurity is a shared responsibility, and we each have a part to play. When we all take simple steps to be safer online – at home, in the workplace, and our communities – it makes using the Internet a more secure experience for everyone.” Exploring this site further, a link to https://www.schoolsafety.gov/ will lead to topics that cover cybersecurity issues and any problems that might impact students. (Agency, 2022)

Low-Cost Online Cybersecurity Learning Content | NIST: This website provides multiple websites and links for cybersecurity career and professional development, educator training, employee awareness training, and K-12 education and games. (NIST, n.d.)

In conclusion, the various governmental agencies, independent commissions, and bills passed by Congress detail the necessity of protecting children from harmful content and malicious actors on the internet. The need for various hardening strategies for cybersecurity in K-12 institutions has been enumerated, and issues with the current strategies have been highlighted.

(CIPA), F. C. (n.d.). fcc.gov. Retrieved from fcc.gov: https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/childrens-internet-protection-act

Agency, C. &. (2022, Sept 8). Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency. Retrieved from https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/cybersecurity-advisories/aa22-249a-0: https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/cybersecurity-advisories/aa22-249a-0

FCC. (2019, December 30). fcc.gov. Retrieved from fcc.gov: https://www.fcc.gov/sites/default/files/childrens_internet_protection_act_cipa.pdf

FCC. (2024, October 2). fcc.gov cybersecurity pilot program. Retrieved from fcc.gov cybersecurity pilot program: https://www.fcc.gov/cybersecurity-pilot-program

FCC. (n.d.). Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved from fcc.gov: https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/childrens-internet-protection-act

Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force Program. (n.d.). Retrieved from Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force Program: https://www.icactaskforce.org/internetsafety

NIST. (n.d.). National Institute of Standards and Technology. Retrieved from National Institute of Standards and Technology: https://www.nist.gov/

relations, F. n. (2024, October 2). Schoolsafety.gov. Retrieved from schoolsafety.gov: https://www.schoolsafety.gov/

saferkidsonline. (2022, December 1). saferkidsonline. Retrieved from saferkidsonline.com: https://saferkidsonline.eset.com/uk/article/identifying-common-social-engineering-attacks-to-kids

Valle, G. D. (2024, July 22). msn.com. Retrieved from msn.com: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/man-convicted-for-sextortion-of-more-than-100-children-on-omegle-snapchat-and-tiktok/ar-BB1qqCas