Legislation proposing cybersecurity protections for school-age children has been truly agreed and finally passed by the Missouri General Assembly. The Missouri General Assembly gave its approval on Tuesday to House Bill 1606, legislation that modifies provisions relating to elementary and secondary education, among other provisions. The final version of the bill includes language sponsored by Senate Minority Floor Leader Gina Walsh, D-Bellefontaine Neighbors, requiring schools to notify parents if their student’s personal information is stolen or compromised.
“I greatly appreciate the State Auditor bringing the issue of cybersecurity breaches in Missouri schools to the public’s attention and for working diligently with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to get this bill passed,” Sen. Walsh said. “In this day and age, it is necessary to keep our youth’s personal information safe. Our children are more susceptible to becoming victims of identity fraud because it can take years to uncover the damage.”
In recent years, there have been significant data breaches at schools across the state. In 2014, Park Hill School District notified more than 10,000 current and former staffers and students that their personal information – including Social Security numbers – was accessed after a former employee made the data accessible on the internet. More recently in January 2017, seven Missouri school districts were targets of a phishing email scam, with one school in Odessa falling victim and sharing personal information.
In addition to notifying the parents, school officials must also notify the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the state auditor. Currently, only some school districts have a written policy regarding parental notification in the event of a data breach.
“As a result of the actions of my colleagues, students across the state will now have additional protections in place to guard them against the possibility of becoming a victim of identity fraud,” Sen. Walsh said.