After a two-week break, schools return to full classrooms, busy staff, and a sudden spike in technology use. Devices come back online, staff log in for the first time in weeks, and systems that sat quietly over break are suddenly under load again. From a cybersecurity perspective, this is one of the highest-risk times of the year. Accounts may have been compromised while no one was watching. Updates may have queued up. Devices might be missing patches. And threat actors know schools are distracted during long breaks. Why the Post-Break Window Matters Extended breaks create gaps: Accounts remain active but unused Alerts go unseen Devices miss updates Staff fall out of security habits Attackers don’t take holidays. Schools do. A short, focused review right now can prevent weeks of cleanup later. A Practical Post-Break Security Checklist This checklist focuses on high-impact, low-friction tasks that small K–12 IT teams can realistically complete. 1. Review Account Activity and Access St...
In an ideal world, every school district would have unlimited time, staff, and funding to implement best-in-class cybersecurity controls everywhere . In reality, K–12 IT teams are juggling limited resources, evolving threats, and constant instructional demands. That’s why the goal for most districts shouldn’t be “ perfect security .” It should be minimum viable security, a realistic , sustainable baseline that meaningfully reduces risk without overwhelming staff or breaking classrooms. What Is a Minimum Viable Security Baseline? A Minimum Viable Security (MVS) Baseline is the smallest set of controls a district must maintain to operate safely and responsibly. It answers a critical question: "W hat security measures must be in place so that a single mistake or compromise doesn’t become a district-wide incident ?" This isn’t about adding more tools. It’s about getting the fundamentals right consistently . Why K–12 Needs a Baseline Approach Many districts struggle becau...