Children, schools face increasing threats, Homeland Security chief says
In an era of increasing physical and online attacks on children and their schools, the efforts of teachers and other school professionals are critical to creating safe environments for children to learn, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Wednesday.
During his speech at the start of the 2024 National Summit on K-12 Safety and Security, Mayorkas pointed out the School shooting on September 4 in Georgia, killing two students and two teachers. The attack was one of more than 1,300 school shootings that have occurred since the horrific attack at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut nearly 12 years ago. Those attacks combined have left at least 436 dead and 936 injured, he said.
Mayorkas noted that children already face a flood of emotions and challenges at the start of each school year. “It is a tragedy that the past few weeks have also been marked by terror in the face of attack at too many schools across the country,” he said.
Meanwhile, schools are also facing online threats, Mayorkas said. A cybercrime group that claims responsibility for a recent ransomware attack on a Rhode Island school district says it has stolen 200 gigabytes of sensitive data, including social security numbers, medical records and counseling reports. And it is threatening to put the data online if the group is not paid a $1 million ransom.
And a group of Michigan men, including a high school teacher, are facing charges for allegedly the use of social media to solicit explicit photos and videos from local childrenMayorkas said.
Mayorkas also pointed out the numerous bomb threats against schools in Springfield, Ohio, following debunked but viral social media claims accusing the city’s Haitian immigrant population of stealing and eating pets.
City officials and law enforcement say there is no evidence that cats and dogs were stolen and eaten. Despite this, former President Donald Trump amplified the lie during the Sept. 10 presidential debate, putting it in the national spotlight.
Bomb threats against schools, government buildings, and the homes of city officials in Springfield followed. They all turned out to be hoaxes, but schools were forced to close and children missed valuable instructional time.
“None of this should be normalized,” Mayorkas said. “Schools should be sacred. Children need a nurturing environment to learn and grow, and each of you deserves the opportunity to focus on what you do best: teaching, caring for, and inspiring our children.”
The annual School Safety and Security Summit, now in its third year, is a two-day virtual event hosted by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. The summit brings together government officials, educators and other experts to discuss physical and online security threats to K-12 schools.
