CoSN

A security expert from the U.S. Department of Education warned that the most mundane tasks, like routine email updates or inadequately redacted records, are where student privacy is most vulnerable.

Stanford researcher Chris Agnew says educational goals, not tools, should be the jumping-off point for ed-tech strategy, starting with what kids need to be able to do, then what learning experiences they need.

DeKalb County School District in Georgia tasks students with leading cybersecurity awareness, training them to recognize and call out poor security practices and encourage communitywide digital safety.

At the Consortium for School Networking conference this week, panelists argued that the screen time debate must shift focus from how much time students spend on screens to how that time is being spent.

A recent report by the Consortium for School Networking found that lawmakers in a handful of states have considered a total of 18 bills in 2025 to address K-12 cybersecurity needs.

Following a 2024 report highlighting challenges and inequities in K-12 privacy protections, the Consortium for School Networking has seen growing district-level interest in building secure learning environments.

As the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act nears expiration, experts warn K-12 schools could face heightened cyber risks without it, while the House and Senate weigh approaches to renewing the law.

Following cuts to programs supporting cybersecurity in K-12 schools, the Consortium for School Networking’s petition to federal leaders in charge of allocations earned more than 400 signatures from districts nationwide.

Democrat Geoffrey Starks will depart the FCC within the next month, leaving the agency with a 2-1 Republican majority. Whether the GOP members will move to reverse past E-rate expansions remains to be seen.

The Consortium for School Networking and the Association of Educational Service Agencies are launching a national training network to help district teams assess AI readiness and create implementation plans.

A school technology leader from Indiana improved accessibility and inclusion for his district by including UDL principles in ed-tech procurement requirements and using a rubric to evaluate potential purchases.

Student privacy expert Ross Lemke says schools need more FERPA training, better cybersecurity and careful vendor vetting to prevent doing a “potential lifetime of harm” by failing to protect their data.

An official from the Washington Association of School Administrators says district leaders should consider time, money, content and expertise when deciding whether to build a custom chatbot in-house or hire outside help.

K-12 cybersecurity leaders say AI can’t fully automate cybersecurity, cloud vendors are not the solution to data governance, teachers should not use unvetted apps, and student accounts need multifactor authentication.

At the Consortium for School Networking’s annual conference in Seattle last week, three superintendents shared how school leaders can explore new technology while safeguarding students and the quality of their education.

At a workshop this week at the Consortium for School Networking’s annual conference, student data privacy expert Linnette Attai said thorough data mapping and policy review are fundamental to data protection.

Experts at the Consortium for School Networking’s annual conference in Seattle urged K-12 leaders to contact the FCC and Congress and voice their support for the E-rate program that funds school broadband.

A Monday workshop at the Consortium for School Networking's annual conference in Seattle offered templates for systems and standards to prevent gaps in equity, privacy and security for education technology.