Bipartisan Bill Introduced to Combat School Cyber Attacks
The proposed legislation will authorize $10 million annually to address cyber threats in K-12 schools.
WASHINGTON, July 28, 2026 – A group of senators and representatives is working together to fight cyberattacks in schools.
On July 24, Sens. Mark Warner, D-Va., and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., along with Reps. Doris Matsui, D-Calif., and Zach Nunn, R- Iowa, introduced the Enhancing K-12 Cybersecurity Act to help schools defend against data breaches, ransomware and other cyberattacks that can disrupt learning and expose student information.
The proposed bill will help combat cyberattacks by helping schools better prepare for threats. The bill will authorize $10 million annually for the fiscal years of 2027 and 2028 to establish the K-12 Cybersecurity Technology Improvement Program to address cyber risks and threats to information systems of K-12 schools.
“No family should have to worry that a cyberattack could expose a child’s personal information or disrupt their education,” Matsui said in the July 24 release. “This bill gives schools the tools, training and support they need to protect students’ data, help teachers keep classrooms running and give administrators stronger resources to prevent and respond to cyberattacks.”
The bipartisan legislation will create a Cybersecurity Incident Registry to track school cyberattack incidents and establish a Cybersecurity Information Exchange that will share best practices and grant opportunities to improve cybersecurity.
“We must ensure that our education sector is equipped to address these threats and keep students’ personal information private,” Blackburn explained in the release. “This bipartisan and bicameral legislation will improve cybersecurity tracking systems for schools and provide them with necessary training resources and best practices for prevention.”
The Center for Internet Security’s 2025 K-12 Cybersecurity Report found that 82% of more than 5,000 K-12 organizations experienced cyber threats between July 2023 and Dec. 2024. Federal cybersecurity officials warn that schools remain targets of malicious cyber activity and ransomware attacks because they operate with limited cybersecurity personnel and budgets.
