The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), in partnership with the Texas Association of School Administrators and CoSN’s Texas state affiliate chapter, the Texas Educational Technology Leaders (formerly The Texas K-12 CTO Council), is honored to support the work of current and aspiring superintendents and district leadership teams in leading all aspects of digital learning transformations.

The month of October is designated as National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. In keeping with the focus on cybersecurity, CoSN is pleased to offer multiple pathways for school leaders to learn how to identify, manage, and prevent cybersecurity attacks within school and school district settings.

The EmpowerED Superintendent edWebinar Series

Cybersecurity: School Leadership Strategies for Preventing and Responding to Cyberattacks

The second episode of Season 4 of the EmpowerED Superintendent Webinar series airs at 4 p.m. CT Monday, October 11, 2021, in conjunction with National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. In the October webinar, “Cybersecurity: School Leadership Strategies for Preventing and Responding to Cyberattacks,” superintendents Matt Miller, Lakota Local Schools, OH, Dr. Michelle Reid, Northshore School District, WA, and Dr. Hank Thiele, Community High School District 99, IL, will share their knowledge and experiences in leading cybersecurity awareness in their school systems. They will examine the liability concerns that arise when schools experience network security incidents and the impact those events can have on a district’s professional reputation as well as the effects cyber-attacks have on teaching and learning and district operations. Strategies for preventing cyberattacks and recommendations for responding effectively when they do occur will be reviewed. Additional cybersecurity resources will be provided.

Participants are invited to share their thoughts in the chat and through poll surveys and Q&A submissions during the live webinar broadcasts. They can also earn continuing education credits through the edWeb community. Free registration is now available at https://home.edweb.net/webinar/supers20211011/.

If you miss the edWebinar broadcast on October 11, you can access the recording a few days after the live broadcast. The complete list of free recordings of all previously broadcast EmpowerED Superintendent webinars is available at https://home.edweb.net/supers/. In addition to the free access to live and recorded webinars, the EmpowerED Superintendent recorded webinars are also accessible via podcast. Learn more at https://home.edweb.net/podcasts/.

CoSN Resources

Critical Focus Areas: Issue One-Pager on Cybersecurity

The CoSN EmpowerED Superintendents webpage presents a series of “one pagers” to guide and empower superintendents and their leadership teams in leading digital transformations. CoSN’s one-page document on “The Importance of Cybersecurity” defines the top five reasons why school system leaders must make cybersecurity a priority. It is available to view and download at: https://tinyurl.com/cybersecurity-CoSN.

Additional CoSN Resources on Cybersecurity

School leaders and policymakers need to protect their networks and information security, analyze their current status, and validate what they are doing well. CoSN provides tools and resources that provide insight into how risk can be further reduced. They can be found at https://cosn.org/cybersecurity.

CoSN & Texas Educational Technology Leaders Membership

If your school or district would like more information about joining CoSN or getting more involved with CoSN and/or Texas Educational Technology Leaders, please contact Dr. Alice Owen, Executive Director, Texas Educational Technology Leaders, at ExDir@TETL.org or call 855.458.9286.