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1
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, According to The K-12 Cybersecurity Resource
3Center (Center), there were 122 cataloged publicly-disclosed
4cybersecurity incidents affecting 199 public K-12 education
5agencies across 38 states during calendar year 2018; and
 
6    WHEREAS, The Center reports that there is a new
7publicly-reported incident every three days of the calendar
8year; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Primarily, the cyber incidents reported in 2018
10were data breaches, including the unauthorized disclosure of
11data due to human error, by vendors in partnership with school
12districts, by students to modify student records, and by
13external actors, often for malicious purposes; and
 
14    WHEREAS, This increase in cyber threats directed at school
15districts continued into 2019, including in Illinois where
16school districts across the State have been hit by
17cybersecurity breaches; and
 
18    WHEREAS, In August 2019, the personal information of 53,000
19students and 3,100 educators in Naperville District 203 and
20Indian Prairie District 204 was exposed following a data breach
21in connection to student assessments; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, In September 2019, Rockford Public Schools were
2without Internet or access to student records for several days
3following a ransomware attack; and
 
4    WHEREAS, The Division of Elementary and Secondary
5Education for the State of Arkansas recently created the P-12
6Cyber Threat Response Team (Team), a small group of IT
7professionals who provide onsite support at no cost to a school
8district whenever an Arkansas school district is faced with a
9cyber threat; and
 
10    WHEREAS, The Team works to ensure that school districts
11know they are not alone when faced with a cyber threat and to
12increase communication between schools and other interested
13entities; and
 
14    WHEREAS, In the face of constant cybersecurity threats,
15which are only going to increase in future years as the use of
16technology and the Internet become ever more prevalent in
17schools across the United States, it is imperative that
18Illinois works to protect school personnel, students, and their
19families from unauthorized data breaches and cybersecurity
20threats; therefore, be it
 
21    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE

 

 

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1HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
2SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we urge the Illinois State Board
3of Education, by the 2020-2021 school year, to establish a P-12
4Cyber Threat Response Team within the State Board of Education;
5and be it further
 
6    RESOLVED, That the P-12 Cyber Threat Response Team shall
7provide assistance to public schools, early childhood
8providers, and special education facilities across the State
9when faced with a cybersecurity threat; and be it further
 
10    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
11delivered to the Darren Reisberg, Chair of the State Board of
12Education, and Dr. Carmen Ayala, State Superintendent of
13Education.