Op-Ed: The cyberattack on Los Angeles schools could happen anywhere
The California Board of Education is seeking public input on how to respond to a cyberattack that infected a laptop used by a teacher at one of the city’s dozen or so high schools.
“We need to know: Are we going to allow it to happen again, or not?” said Mark Seidman, president of the board. “Our students are at risk in other schools, too. What are we going to do about that?”
Seidman gave his comments before the board’s top-level workshop on school technology and cybersecurity.
The board held its first such workshop last year. At the time, it focused mostly on the dangers of mobile devices and what can be done to prevent them from being used for nefarious purposes. But some board members wanted to expand that to a broader range of technology. Board member Kevin Kelly, now a city councilman, told the Los Angeles Times at the time that “the board should be involved in school-wide technology issues.”
More Information School Board president Mark Seidman and board member Kevin Kelly attend a session on school technology and cybersecurity in February 2016. Photo: Courtesy Los Angeles Unified School District
The workshops offered opportunities to share ideas with the board, which has the legal responsibility for ensuring that Los Angeles public schools are safe places for their students. It is also charged with overseeing the hiring, promotion, and firing of the school district’s 300 employee workforce.
“The board is in the unique position to really ensure the safety and well-being of every student in our system,” said Seidman.
The board’s workshop on Thursday covered cybersecurity. “The board has an ongoing partnership with the district’s Office of the Chief Information Officer,” said board President Seidman on Thursday. “We’re looking at the issue of internet safety.”
Cyberattacks, cyberhackers, and malware
The board will review cyberattacks and cyberhackers, as well