SAN DIEGO COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION RECEIVES FBI DIRECTOR’S COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP AWARD FOR CYBERSECURITY LEADERSHIP

SAN DIEGO — The San Diego County Office of Education has been recognized by the FBI San Diego Field Office with the 2025 FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award for its work strengthening cybersecurity, digital resilience, and cyber education across the region’s K–12 community.

Special Agent in Charge Mark Remily presented the recognition to the San Diego County Office of Education, citing its efforts to protect school systems, improve cyber readiness, and prepare students for careers connected to cybersecurity and digital defense.

“It is an honor to recognize the San Diego County Office of Education with the Director’s Community Leadership Award,” Remily said.

He credited the organization’s work in school protection, cyber resilience, and workforce development, along with partnerships involving the FBI, InfraGard, and other regional organizations.

The recognition highlights a cybersecurity program that extends beyond basic awareness training.

The San Diego County Office of Education established a Security Operations Center designed to support cyber defense across school environments and developed a phishing simulation and training platform intended to strengthen awareness among students and staff.

The organization also built cybersecurity training programs tailored to the K–12 environment, where school districts and charter schools face many of the same cyber threats as private businesses and government agencies.

School systems can hold large amounts of sensitive information, including student records, employee data, credentials, administrative records, financial information, and other protected data.

That makes cyber readiness a major operational issue for education systems, particularly when attackers use phishing, credential theft, malware, ransomware, or social engineering to gain access to networks.

The FBI recognized SDCOE for taking a broader approach that combines defense, training, education, and workforce development.

Its cybersecurity strategy includes technical monitoring, employee and student education, threat awareness, and hands-on programs designed to introduce young people to cyber concepts before they enter the workforce.

The organization’s cybersecurity team also received the 2025 Cybersecurity Stewardship Award for Organization of the Year from the San Diego Business Journal and the San Diego Cyber Center of Excellence.

A major part of SDCOE’s outreach is its annual Cybersecurity Bootcamp.

The week-long program introduces students to foundational cybersecurity concepts, threat detection, digital defense, and the use of real-world technology.

The program is designed to provide practical experience rather than rely solely on classroom theory.

Students work through activities intended to demonstrate how cyber threats are identified, how digital environments are protected, and how cybersecurity professionals approach real incidents.

The bootcamp also places particular emphasis on reaching youth and underserved student groups who may not otherwise have direct exposure to cybersecurity education or technical career pathways.

That effort gives students an opportunity to develop transferable technical and analytical skills while learning about a field that continues to affect government, business, education, infrastructure, and national security.

In 2022, SDCOE expanded the effort through partnerships with the San Diego InfraGard Members Alliance and the U.S. Cyber Initiative.

FBI San Diego Cyber Squad agents regularly participate in the bootcamp.

Agents contribute instructional material, provide investigative case studies, and interact directly with students as they work through cybersecurity activities.

The program gives students exposure to real investigative concepts and allows them to learn how cyber cases are approached within federal law enforcement.

FBI personnel also discuss current cyber threats, cyber investigations, information sharing, and the role collaboration plays in protecting national security and public institutions.

Students are introduced to cybersecurity career opportunities within law enforcement and learn how lawful cyber tools and investigative techniques are used to protect communities and critical systems.

The involvement of federal cyber agents adds a practical law-enforcement component to the program that connects classroom instruction with real investigative work.

The San Diego County Office of Education serves a large and diverse educational network.

SDCOE directly educates approximately 1,800 students across 21 sites each year.

It also provides support services to approximately 480,000 students across 42 school districts.

Its role extends beyond direct instruction.

The county office helps school districts operate more efficiently by providing shared resources, personnel support, professional development, technical assistance, and other services that individual districts may otherwise need to build independently.

Cybersecurity has become an important part of that support structure as educational institutions depend more heavily on digital platforms, cloud services, connected devices, student information systems, remote learning technology, and online administrative tools.

The expansion of digital systems has created greater opportunities for education, but it has also expanded the attack surface available to cybercriminals.

A compromised school account can expose credentials.

A successful phishing campaign can lead to broader network access.

A ransomware attack can interrupt instruction, administrative services, and access to records.

A data breach can expose information belonging to students, parents, teachers, and staff.

The approach recognized by the FBI attempts to address those risks through prevention, monitoring, training, and long-term workforce development.

That combination gives SDCOE a role in protecting current school environments while also helping prepare the next generation of cybersecurity professionals.

The FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award was established in 1990 as a way for the bureau to recognize individuals and organizations making significant contributions to education, crime prevention, violence prevention, and community safety.

Each FBI field office selects one individual or organization for the award.

The San Diego County Office of Education was selected by FBI San Diego for its work in cyber education, school security, and digital community resilience.

The recognition also reflects the growing connection between cybersecurity and public education.

Protecting school systems is no longer limited to physical campuses, emergency planning, or conventional safety measures.

Digital networks, student information, administrative systems, connected devices, and online learning platforms have become part of the same security environment.

By building technical defenses, training staff, educating students, and working with federal cyber investigators, SDCOE has positioned cybersecurity as both a school safety issue and a workforce development priority.

The FBI San Diego Field Office said the award recognizes that broader contribution and the organization’s continuing role in building a safer digital environment for students, educators, and school systems across San Diego County.

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