State Auditor releases report on cybersecurity in public schools

Report shows mixed results when it comes to protecting students from harmful online content

TUPELO, MISS. (WCBI) – A report on cybersecurity in public school districts across Mississippi shows mixed results, according to the State Auditor.

State Auditor Shad White released the report “Cybersecurity in School Districts” on Thursday.   The state auditor was the guest speaker at the Tupelo Kiwanis Club and said the report shows that some school districts are taking appropriate steps to limit students’ ability to access potentially harmful and explicit materials online.

White says most school districts are following the minimum federal guidelines, but more needs to be done.

“But meeting the bare minimum requirements is not enough to guarantee the computers are only being used for the purposes they should be used for.  This concern is really magnified because, in the last few years, stimulus spending has poured a ton of money into technology and schools so now way more schools, students have these computers, and more students are taking those computers home, so where this was a concern five years ago, it’s a huge concern today,” White said.

That report was a follow-up to see if school districts had implemented recommendations from a 2017 cybersecurity report.   For a link to that report, click here.