Strengthening School Cybersecurity – Best Practices for District Leaders (Blog 2 of 3)

By Tom Ryan, Ph.D and Lenny Schad

In the wake of the PowerSchool data breach, it is clear that school districts must strengthen their cybersecurity practices. While the risks are significant, proactive steps can greatly reduce vulnerabilities. This article outlines key best practices that district leaders should implement to protect their schools and hold vendors accountable.

Key Challenges in School Cybersecurity

School districts face five major cybersecurity challenges:

1. Vendor Accountability – Many vendors fail to follow best cybersecurity practices.
2. Data Retention Issues – Vendors retain data beyond contractual agreements.
3. Incident Response Gaps – Breach notifications are delayed, and communication is poor.
4. Internal Monitoring Weaknesses – Districts lack comprehensive security oversight.
5. Absence of Benchmarking – No universal cybersecurity standards exist for vendors.

To address these challenges, district leaders must implement stronger security policies, enforce vendor accountability, and ensure comprehensive incident response plans.

Best Practices for Strengthening Cybersecurity

1. Strengthen Vendor Contracts and RFP Requirements
   
   
   • Require third-party security audits (SOC 2, ISO 27001) and compliance with FERPA, COPPA, and state laws.
   • Mandate full disclosure of past breaches and mitigation efforts.
   • Establish contractual security obligations (e.g., AES-256 encryption, strict data retention and deletion policies).
   • Impose financial penalties for non-compliance (e.g., fines for breach notification delays)

1. Implement Strong Data Governance Policies
   
   
   • Develop clear policies for data retention, deletion, and minimization.
   • Conduct regular vendor audits to ensure compliance.
   • Assign dedicated personnel to oversee data governance and vendor monitoring.

1. Build Robust Incident Response Protocols
   
   
   • Require vendors to submit documented incident response plans (IRPs).
   • Conduct district-wide cybersecurity drills, including vendor participation.
   • Maintain an inventory of vendors and their data security policies.
   • Ensure district leaders understand state-specific reporting requirements.

1. Strengthen Internal Cybersecurity Practices
   
   
   • Deploy real-time network monitoring tools and intrusion detection systems.
   • Implement role-based access controls (RBAC) and multi-factor authentication (MFA).
   • Require ongoing cybersecurity training for all district employees.
   • Ensure regular software updates and security patches are applied.

1. Foster Collaboration and Advocacy
   
   
   • Join regional or national coalitions to advocate for standardized vendor security benchmarks.
   • Share best practices, breach data, and vendor performance metrics with other districts.
   • Work with organizations like CoSN to develop industry-wide cybersecurity standards.

By implementing these best practices, district leaders can mitigate risks, strengthen vendor accountability, and ensure student data remains secure.

Read Part 3 to get ideas for long-term cybersecurity strategies for leaders.