"Peters, Scott Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Protect K-12 School Systems from Cyber-Attacks"
U.S. Senators, Gary Peters (D-MI) and Rick Scott (R-FL), introduced bipartisan legislation aimed at helping K-12 educational institutions strengthen their cybersecurity systems. The two Senators stressed the importance of the K-12 Cybersecurity Act of 2019 as schools across the nation are struggling to protect the large amounts of personal data belonging to students and faculty due to lack of resources and awareness for preventing cyberattacks on school systems. The K-12 Cybersecurity Act of 2019 directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to take part in the assessment of risks and challenges faced by schools when securing their systems. The proposed legislation also directs DHS's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to develop cybersecurity recommendations and other resources that can be used by schools to improve their cybersecurity systems. The enforcement of the bill would help bolster schools' cybersecurity defenses against cyberattacks such as ransomware attacks, which have been increasingly targeted at educational institutions. This article continues to discuss the goal, requirements, and support of the bill, as well as the importance of government collaboration to address the rise in cyberattacks on schools.