Rep. Green Introduces Amendment to Parents Bill of Rights

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Rep. Green Works to Protect Students From Cyber Attacks

WASHINGTON-Today, Rep. Mark Green delivered the following remarks on the House Floor when offering a cyber security amendment to the Parents Bill of Rights Act:

Rep. Green's Remarks:

"Our nation's critical infrastructure and cybersecurity is increasingly under attack by malicious actors who seek to extort and do harm to the American people.

"Hospitals, financial institutions, utilities, and government agencies are all popular targets, but cyberattacks are now targeting the next generation of Americans: K-12 students.

"While the total number of cyber-attacks on K-12 schools is unknown, recent reports have indicated that ransomware attacks on K-12 schools increased between 2020 and 2022. Local and state officials report that loss of learning following a cyber-attack can range from three days to three weeks, and recovery time could take anywhere from 2-9 months. Officials also reported monetary losses to school districts ranging from $50,000 to $1 million due to expenses from a cyber incident.

"Cyber-attacks often result in the disclosure and theft of students' personal information. In a 2020 report, the GAO found that such compromised information included students' grades, their social security numbers, and medical information. In December 2021, a vendor for Chicago Public Schools was a victim of a ransomware attack in which more than 500,000 students' and staff members' personal information was disclosed. The data included students' names, schools, dates of birth, gender, school identification numbers, state student identification numbers, and course information from previous school years.

"One study found that, between 2018 and 2021, roughly 3 million students were impacted by ransomware attacks. Parents who entrust their students' information to public institutions have the right to know when that information is compromised.

"We must do the work to ensure these attacks are not successful and that malicious actors are brought to justice. Parents need to know when their students' personal information has been compromised so that they can take the necessary steps to protect them. Transparency is essential to protecting the privacy of students.

"We need schools that are both transparent and accountable to parents. Parents shouldn't be stonewalled when asking for information about their child's personal records. The FBI should focus on investigating these cyber security incidents and informing parents on the irreparable harm done to their children's cyber security rather than monitoring their parents' free speech and shutting down parent involvement.

"I urge my colleagues to put parents before politics and support this amendment."

Watch the full video here.

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