Despite the swiftness with which a shooting can occur, K12 districts have been slow to update their security systems, frustrating vendors who believe higher education leaders are letting practical campus solutions run right through their fingertips.
Students aren't the only ones struggling. School staff face increased pressure to support the rising number of students in need of help—at a time when educators themselves are at a breaking point.
There were about 385 students for every school counselor in the 2022-23 school year, a sizeable improvement from the previous year. Meanwhile, schools are still battling an ongoing mental health crisis.
Between 2020 and 2023, the number of proposed state bills on education-related cybersecurity supports skyrocketed by 250% totaling 307 bills introduced. But how many focus solely on K12?
"As school principals and district administrators, you have credibility in your community and trust in your schools and districts that uniquely position you to help save lives," U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona wrote in a letter.
The new initiative will be unveiled Thursday in an event for school principals with first lady Jill Biden and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona. Also participating will be Stefanie Feldman, who runs the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention.
Cybersecurity ought to be a team effort, declares a new report from Clever. Yet, only 17% of district's current security practices actually align with this mentality.
An anonymous reporting system “enabled 1,039 confirmed mental health interventions; 109 ‘saves’ where clear evidence of imminent suicide crisis was present and averted; prevented 38 acts of school-violence including weapons recovered on school grounds; and averted 6 confirmed planned school attacks,” according to the report.
If you're not teaching and learning in one of the locations detailed here, know that your state may have similar funding programs in specialized categories.
