On 7th February 2022, the House of Education Committee New Mexico unanimously voted to advance a bill to fund $45 million for cybersecurity of K-12 schools. If passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor, the bill would help the Public Education Department create a cybersecurity office. The bill would fund grants for cybersecurity to school districts from this year to 2026.
This is due to the increasing cyberattacks on schools. The most recent one was in Albuquerque Public School, where classes were canceled for two days. This bill will help protect 87 school districts and 73 charter schools if approved.
The bill calls for a response and recovery process with training for employees and students to understand and address potential cyberattacks. In the first phase, 35 schools and 18 charter schools will receive funding of $8 million to start cybersecurity programs in the next year. The education department would also hire three new employees to oversee the program under House Bill 122.
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