“Our Biggest Nightmare Is Here”
On the night of September 2, 2019, Assistant Superintendent for Compliance and Information Systems Bhargav Vyas received a system-failure warning for Monroe-Woodbury Central School District in Central Valley, New York. With his team, he chose to shut down the district’s entire computer network. Then, at 7:30 the next morning, he got a call from one…
Best Practices for Stopping Ransomware Attacks
A vetted, strategic cybersecurity plan helped one school district successfully push back against cyberattackers. The annual back-to-school superintendent conference day on Sept. 3, 2019, at New York’s Monroe-Woodbury Central School District should have been one of excitement and reconnection for staff and…
Student Data Privacy: Self-Inflicted Wounds
In light of COVID-19 and the mass closure of school districts across the country, affecting nearly 41.7 million students, district and school leadership focus on providing extended learning resources and e-learning options to ensure educational continuity. However, the influx of emails, social…
Student Data Privacy: Our Weakest Link
Technology in schools promotes active learning, provides countless online resources, analyzes student performance for immediate feedback, automates processes like attendance and grading, offers assistive technology options, and develops life skills critical for our students. Yet, the benefits of collaborative, engaging,…
Data Access is Easier Than Ever, But is That a Good Thing?
Tactical student data privacy questions like “What can I do right now?” should be asked by all CIOs, teachers, administrators, and policymakers in this changing landscape of data access, student privacy, and interoperability. In a recent edWebinar, Dr. Larry Fruth, executive…
Technology Not Going to Solve Data Privacy
Washington, D.C., and the MLB All-Star game were the backdrop for the inaugural CoSN Student Data Privacy Workshop. 35 CTOs, CIOs, and Superintendents from as far away as Texas gathered to collaborate on this important topic. The framework of this…
The privacy risks of AI use at school
By Emily Ann Brown District Administration, October 2018 When voice-activated tools are used in the classroom, school leaders need to safeguard student data. Whether school system leaders realize it or not, voice-activated, artificial intelligence devices such as Alexa and Google…
District Leaders Take on the New Reality of Cyber Security in Schools
The third in the Super-Connected: Empowering Superintendents & District Leaders CoSN and edWeb.net series, “Cyber Security: A Critical School District Priority,” took place on November 12, 2018. Moderated by Ann McMullan, Project Director, CoSN Empowered Superintendent Program, this webinar spotlighted the cybersecurity…
District Leaders Navigate Student Data Privacy Laws to Champion for Students
The second in the Super-Connected: Empowering Superintendents & District Leaders CoSN and edWeb.net series, “Student Data Privacy: A Priority and Essential Commitment,” took place October 8, 2018. Moderated by Anne McMullan, Project Director, CoSN Empowered Superintendent Program, this webinar spotlighted the critical…