Archive for October 2021

On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, Missouri state Rep. Ashley Aune talks with St. Louis Public Radio’s Sarah Kellogg about a commission focused on cybersecurity she helped create and how recently revealed vulnerabilities on a state website prove the need for greater support of web security.

Aune is a Democrat from the Kansas City area, representing the 14th District. She was first elected in 2020.

Here’s what Aune talked about on the show:

• The Missouri Cybersecurity Act, which creates a commission aimed at assessing and advising the state on cyberthreats. Aune partnered with Republican Rep. Bill Hardwick of Pulaski County to draft the bill, which was signed into law in July. However, no further action on the commission, including Gov. Mike Parson appointing members, has happened.
• Security risks found on pages of the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s website that left the Social Security numbers of thousands of school employees vulnerable. Aune said the state needs to treat this data as if it was leaked to the public and should be providing identity theft protection.
• Parson’s decision to criminally investigate a reporter from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch who alerted the state of the vulnerability before publishing the findings. Aune said this kind of reaction could cause future discoveries of flaws to not be reported to the state.
• Her own goals and expectations for the upcoming session, including why the legislature may not get as much done.

The 14th District covers both Platte and Clay counties, which are north of Kansas City, but is still a part of the metropolitan area.
Aune has a bachelor’s degree in communication studies and owns a marketing agency in Kansas City.

Follow Sarah Kellogg on Twitter: @sarahkkellogg
Follow Ashley Aune on Twitter: @Ashley4MO

The COVID-19 pandemic flipped the education system on its head. Teachers had to find new ways to engage with students virtually. Students had to learn how to navigate chrome books, laptops, and other devices in order to complete their studies. Everything changed and a lot was uncovered such as the lack of resources in minority school districts. In this episode we hear from a young school board member working to change the educational landscape in her hometown, a professor with years of experience with a new outlook on education, and community members share their thoughts on the state of education.