- Skip to main content
- About Us
- Contact Us
- FAQs
-  Language Assistance ****    - English
  - español
  - 中文: 繁體版
  - Việt-ngữ
  - 한국어
  - Tagalog
  - Русский 

U.S. Department of Education

U.S. Department of Education

        - Student Loans
        - Grants
        - Laws
        - Data

# Secretary Cardona Emphasizes Need for Cyber Security in K-12 Schools in White House Remarks

# Secretary Cardona Emphasizes Need for Cyber Security in K-12 Schools in White House Remarks

August 8, 2023

**Contact:  **press@ed.gov

                                    -        
Thank you to our First Lady, Dr. Biden, for that introduction and her leadership.

I’m glad to be here to discuss a very important topic: cyber security in our  schools.

When  we were at the height of the pandemic, it wasn’t board games that got my kids  through it. It wasn’t books, or sports.  

For  my son, it was his Xbox – playing Madden with his cousins. For my daughter, it was an app called Houseparty, where she could see her friends.

I  mention this, first, because it shows how technology can benefit our young people. 

At  its best, technology can help our students avoid social isolation and connect  with each other and their learning in a way nothing else can.

This  also reminds us: we live in the digital age. As I always say: devices are the new pencils.

Last  school year, the average number of unique educational technology tools accessed  per school district was over 2500.

And  keep in mind: that’s just edtech.  

Those  numbers don’t even capture the social media apps students our using, or the  digital infrastructure and systems our schools rely on. So when schools face cyber attacks, the  impacts can be huge.

Think  about the ransomware attack that led to more than 500,000 students and staff  members in Chicago Public Schools having their personal information  disclosed.  

Or think about the school district in my home state of Connecticut that had to  postpone the first day of school for 18,000 students because a cyber attack hit  a system the district used to manage school bus routes.

Think  about the fact cyber attacks on schools have disrupted learning for anywhere  between three days to three weeks, sometimes with months of recovery needed.

Let’s  be clear: we need to be taking these cyber attacks on schools as seriously as  we do physical attacks on critical infrastructure.Schools  are the infrastructure of learning in America.

That’s  why, today, the Department of Education released a series of briefs on how to make  sure the digital infrastructure of education is safe, accessible, resilient,  sustainable, and future-proof.

We  need collaboration within government to make that possible, which is why we are  also committing to establishing a Government Coordinating Council as the first  step in our strategy to strengthen the cyber defenses and resilience of K-12  schools.

These represent big steps forward.

Together, we can better manage the risks of cyber attacks on  our schools – so we can better guarantee the benefits technology has to offer in education.

Special thanks to Kristina Ishmael and our Office of Educational Technology for their leadership on this – and for spearheading our great partnerships with other agencies.

One of those great partners is the Department of Homeland Security.  So I’m delighted to be able to introduce our  next speaker, my Cabinet colleague, Secretary Mayorkas. Thank you, and over to you.
   -  Tags: Speeches
          How Do I Find...?    - Student loans, forgiveness
- Higher Education Rulemaking
- College accreditation
- Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
- FERPA
- FAFSA
- 1098, tax forms
- More...
      Information About...    - Elevating Teaching
- Early Learning
- Engage Every Student
- Unlocking Career Success
- Cybersecurity
Search speechesSearch for:      Find By Month    - January 2024 
- December 2023 
- November 2023 
- September 2023 
- August 2023 
- July 2023 
- June 2023 
- May 2023 
- April 2023 
- March 2023 
- February 2023 
- January 2023 
- All Speeches
             
*Our mission* is to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access.
- Student Loans
- Repaying Loans
- Defaulted Loans
- Loan Forgiveness
- Loan Servicers
- Grants & Programs
- Apply for Pell Grants
- Grants Forecast
- Apply for a Grant
- Laws & Guidance
- Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
- FERPA
- Civil Rights
- IDEA Website
- Data & Research
- Education Statistics
- Postsecondary Education Data
- ED Data Express
- Nation's Report Card
- What Works Clearinghouse
- Open Data Platform
- COVID Relief Data
- About Us
- Contact Us
- ED Offices
- Jobs
- Press Releases
- FAQs
- Recursos en español
- Budget, Performance
- Privacy Program
- Homeroom Blog
- Notices
- FOIA
- Privacy Policy
- Accessibility
- Security
- Information Quality
- Inspector General
- Whitehouse.gov
- USA.gov
- Benefits.gov
- Regulations.gov