Protect Your School: Essential Cybersecurity Practices for Educators

Cybersecurity is a critical issue for schools. As education increasingly relies on technology, protecting students, staff, and school data is more important than ever. The challenge for many schools and districts is that they lack the resources and expertise to train their staff on cybersecurity best practices.  

PowerSchool is here to help. 

In this blog post, we outline key areas of cybersecurity to focus on and provide links to free resources that schools can use to help train their staff.

Cybersecurity Best Practices

In any organization, people are a key line of defense. Some refer to this as creating a “human firewall.” While that may sound daunting, the concept is very simple: educate employees on basic cybersecurity best practices they can apply in their day-to-day activities.  

This doesn’t mean we want them to be security experts. We don’t even want them to spend extra time on security. Instead, we want to train them to do the activities that are part of their regular daily routine securely.

To strengthen your school’s cybersecurity, focus on these four key training topics:

Strong, unique passwords are the first line of defense against cyber threats. It’s important to encourage everyone at school to use passwords that are hard to guess and to change them regularly.  

But creating both difficult-to-guess and memorable passwords can be tricky. Most people default to passwords that are memorable but not strong. The key is to train them how to do both. 

To help with this, PowerSchool created a short video with tips and tricks on creating good passwords. At just under three minutes, it’s easy for even the busiest educators to fit into their schedule.

Schools handle a lot of personal information, from student grades to staff details. Protecting this data is crucial. Following regulations like the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) helps ensure that sensitive information is kept secure and shared only with those with the right to see it. 

Fortunately, there are free resources you can use in your training program. The Department of Education offers free online training on various FERPA topics on its website. They also provide short videos on different aspects of FERPA that can serve as easy introductions to the topic. They include “The A-B-C’s of Student Directory Information” and “Email and Student Privacy”.

Phishing scams are one of the most common cyber threats. It’s important for everyone in the school community to learn how to spot suspicious emails and avoid clicking on links or downloading attachments from unknown sources.  

To assist you with this, PowerSchool created a short video on phishing to help give people a simple and accessible introduction to the topic. For more robust training, PowerSchool has partnered with a leading security cyber security training firm KnowBe4 to offer free tools and training to school districts. This includes: 

• Phishing Security Test – Teaches you how to spot phishing emails in a hands-on way  
• Phish Alert Button – Gives your staff an easy way to report suspected phishing emails 
• And many more 

The content from KnowBe4 is professionally produced, so you can be assured that you’re teaching your staff the right things.

Teaching safe browsing habits is key. Encourage the use of secure, trusted websites and make sure everyone knows not to download files or click on links from unverified sources.  

A great source of training on this topic is the National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCA). They have articles and videos on a range of cybersecurity topics. If you’re looking for a short video, Security Awareness Episode 7: Internet Downloads is a great place to start. 

Other good content from NCA includes: 

• Protecting Our Kids’ Data Privacy in Paramount 
• Safeguarding Your Internet Activity with Incognito Mode 
• K-12 Cybersecurity: Keep Kids Secure from Kindergarten to Graduation

Take Action Today

Cybersecurity is an ongoing concern that requires attention from everyone in the school community. Schools can create a safer digital environment by focusing on strong password management, protecting data privacy, being vigilant about email security, and promoting safe internet browsing.  

Now is the time to take action. Start by implementing these best practices and planning a training session or meeting to launch your school’s cybersecurity campaign. By staying informed and proactive, we can protect our students and staff from cyber threats and ensure a safe learning environment for all.