East Texas lawmaker files bill to coordinate cybersecurity response for schools

TYLER, TX (KLTV) - Out of concern for the growing threat of cyber-attacks on independent school districts, Texas State Rep. Jay Dean, R-District 7, announced Friday the filed of House Bill 2689.

The bill stems from Dean’s work on the Select Committee on Cybersecurity. Dean says there are no procedures in place to centralize the reporting and documentation of attacks against cyber-infrastructure.

“Schools house incredibly sensitive information about our children. From birth dates and addresses to social security numbers, all of these are highly prized and extremely valuable on the dark web," dean said in a press release. “We know these criminal hackers are going after it - just last year the Dallas Morning News reported a data breach of 37 (independent school districts), five of which are in House District 7.

"We need to set in place reporting procedures and coordinate best practices to ensure the safety of our kids.”

HB 2689 would require that every independent school district designate a cybersecurity coordinator to liaise with the Texas Education Agency for the purposes of reporting attacks and employing best practices.

Dean says TEA would act as a centralized hub to track and categorize attacks, thereby improving the cybersecurity response.

Dean represents House District 7 which includes Gregg and Upshur counties.

Copyright 2019 KLTV. All rights reserved.