PROTECT THE KIDS

A group of bipartisan House members led by Rep. Doris Matsui (D-Calif.) on Thursday introduced legislation intended to protect K-12 institutions from cyberattacks, which spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Enhancing K-12 Cybersecurity Act would appropriate $10 million yearly for the next two years to fund a K-12 Cybersecurity Technology Improvement Program to protect school networks from security risks. The program would be established by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and run by an information sharing organization.

The bill would also direct CISA to establish a cybersecurity incident registry within the agency to track cyberattacks on K-12 institutions and requires CISA to establish a cybersecurity incident exchange program to help schools share best practices and increase security of critical systems.