The Cyber Champions program, now in its second year at DCDS, puts students in the driver’s seat of districtwide cybersecurity education, making them the primary messengers of digital safety, phishing awareness and AI ethics within their schools and the broader community.
FLIPPING THE SCRIPT
Eric Logan, director of information and network security at DCSD, said managing cybersecurity for a district as diverse as DeKalb, which includes 138 schools and families speaking approximately 172 different languages, requires more than just presenting technical information in written form.
He said students and teachers are often more receptive to critiques about positive cyber habits from students trained to give them. If a student points out that their teacher shouldn’t have their password on a Post-It note on their computer monitor, for example, “that resonates different” than if they were told that by another teacher or administrator.
By training students to recognize and call out poor security practices, Logan emphasized that the district is building an internal defense mechanism against cyber threats. This peer-to-peer — and student-to-teacher — advocacy works to ensure security isn’t just a policy in a handbook, but a daily conversation and part of the community fabric.
HIGH-IMPACT TRAINING WITH ZERO BUDGET
One key aspect of the Cyber Champions initiative is that it operates without dedicated funding, relying instead on existing district roles and free digital resources.
Shanique Worthey, DCSD’s manager of security awareness and engagement, explained that the program was built by “just taking what best practices in education are and putting them to cybersecurity, artificial intelligence … all the things that we know we see trending and we want our students to be aware of.”
Participating students first receive specialized training from district staff on high-priority topics like phishing and device security, Worthey said. Once they have mastered foundational concepts, students use digital tools like Canva and resources from Common Sense Media, a nonprofit that provides digital guidance to students and families, to distill complex technical warnings into digestible, two- to five-minute presentations designed specifically for their peers and teachers.
This “student-produced” approach creates what both Logan and Worthey described as a ripple effect: Students’ short, high-impact modules are delivered during class periods, helping spread critical security habits. Moreover, by focusing on “bite-sized sessions,” as Worthey described it, the district avoids information overload while keeping digital safety at the forefront of the community’s thinking.
MEASURING OUTCOMES
Quantifying the success of a cybersecurity program could involve counting the number of breaches a district was able to defend against, but DCSD looks at qualitative shifts in behavior. Logan said evidence of success has appeared in the form of teachers asking more nuanced questions about data privacy, or students inquiring about site security before clicking on a link.
“It’s building culture," he said. "We didn’t just come in and make huge changes, but we’re kind of starting to introduce a culture of security within [DCSD] where … now people are starting to think more about security."
For students, incentives to participate in the program go beyond becoming learned in digital safety measures. Logan explained that Cyber Champions gain specialized knowledge in emerging fields like AI safety in addition to leadership experience that can be listed as accolades on their college and career applications, too.
“Give [students] the power and ownership. Just do it," he said. "You would be surprised … but you give them the power to do something … it means a lot."
For districts looking to replicate DCSD's Cyber Champions program, the panelists offered a set of non-negotiables. Before launching, they said a district must identify its specific security challenges to ensure the student-led curriculum is relevant.
The leanest version of the program — which Logan highlighted is what DCSD uses, given the fact that the initiative receives no dedicated funding — survives even if funding or staff drops, because the core requirement is simply student interest and a platform and structure to be an advocate for digital safety.
As Worthey noted, students already possess the technical curiosity needed for a program like this one. The district just provides guidance and oversight.
"Just start where you can look for those students," Worthey advised. "Just start by empowering the students. They already have a lot of the skills."
