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Newsom signs bill to combat cyberattacks against K-12 schools

Legislation aimed at tackling the issue of cyberattacks on the state's public K-12 education system was signed into law by California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday.

Source: CBS Bay Area

SACRAMENTO – Legislation aimed at tackling the issue of cyberattacks on the state's public K-12 education system was signed into law by California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday.

Introduced by Assemblymember Diane Papan, D-San Mateo, Assembly Bill 1023 passed the state senate unanimously last month.

The bill will expand CAL-SIC assistance to K-12 schools. CAL-SIC is a state cybersecurity agency that has already worked with higher education systems such as the University of California.

"As technology plays a greater role in schools and in society, we must develop safeguards to protect critical data and safeguard the privacy of students, families and staff—particularly from nefarious actors willing to disrupt public education and put our communities at risk," said Papan in a release. "Current law fails to offer the support school districts and county offices of education need to defend against cyber threats and mitigate any successful attacks."