Whenever a student sits behind an electronic device connected to the internet, he or she is vulnerable to outside threats. Computers play a crucial role in the transmission and access of information. K-12 students need protection from harmful content found on the web and a healthy learning environment. Parents must be reassured that their student's personal information is protected by the walls of the school building and that their students are protected from cyberbullying. Teachers must also educate students and parents on how they can strengthen the security of the school. This report will address on how K-12 schools should execute a well-planned computer security policy while maintaining a stable learning environment for the students. Computer Security in K-12 schools can be summarized with seven solutions: content filtering, issuing strong policies, educating the students, identifying the security threat, implementing a well-planned Bring Your Own Device guideline, updating school infrastructure, and addressing social media concerns.
The purpose of this survey is to determine if schools have protected students from cybersecurity threats and whether schools are adequately equipped to address these means. K-12 Schools that are not equipped or trained to combat cybersecurity threats will fail to provide protection from malicious content and harm the student’s learning environment. I hope that this survey will bring more awareness to the concerns of cybersecurity within K-12 Schools and encourage teachers to inform their students to exercise wise decisions while on the internet.