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Reddit’s r_k12sysadmin Credits: @r_channels @reddit2telegram
Google Outage? Can't sign in
Our users are getting a 502 error from Google when they attempt to sign into Chrome or a Chromebook. Anyone else having this issue?
::EDIT:: It appears to be global. Good luck, all you help desk answerers out there!
https://redd.it/1nkadeu
@r_k12sysadmin
AristotleK12 Performance Issues After Client Update
For anyone using AristotleK12, have you experienced performance issues on Chromebooks this week? Looks like they had a client update recently and reports of laggy chromebooks have been trickling in since. Seems to be mostly older chromebooks.
We're still in the troubleshooting phase, so I don't have any other info. We just contacted their support.
https://redd.it/1nk7l3h
@r_k12sysadmin
Ask Google About this Page Contextual AI Overlay
Google rolled out an AI overlay in Chrome 140 that allows students to click on the URL bar and "Ask Google About this Page" to generate AI summaries without leaving the tab. All bets are off on personal accounts, but here is how to turn it off on school devices: https://chromeenterprise.google/policies/#LensOverlaySettings
Just a heads up that someone will likely notice it soon so you have a solution handy. The AI tide is whack a mole but it's good to know about.
The release notes are here: https://support.google.com/chrome/a/answer/7679408?hl=en
And more info about Contextual Overlay
Contextual search suggestions in Chrome address bar
With this feature, you can ask anything about the page you’re on, directly in context. Building on the existing Search habit of the address bar, users can ask a question with Google Lens by selecting anything on screen or asking with words. A Google Lens action in the address bar and contextual suggestions guide people to the feature when it’s most helpful. Admins can control this feature with the existing LensOverlaySettings policy.
https://redd.it/1nk6znu
@r_k12sysadmin
What is the best AI video surveillance solution — anyone actually using one?
Hey all need a quick suggestion here
I am the sysadmin for a mid size k12 and our cameras feel useless lately. We are talking to some AI solutions out there but have little to no experience with this.
We had 3 hallway fights this year, all we got was grainy video next day when someone finally pulled it. Problem is now school board wants an AI video surveillance system or cameras that can get real alerts instantly.
looking at these new ai camera systems that can:
* ping us when theres weird stuff going on (after hours motion, big group gathering, fight alert- IDK)
* let us pull clips fast or even let principal do it without ticket hell
* remote view from phon/laptop e so i dont have to run to server room.
If you or anyone has used a similar system let us know. Big win if it can detect faces and ID them.
https://redd.it/1njo5ku
@r_k12sysadmin
ChromeOS Kiosk Mode as Digital Signage, is there a way to auto-login to a Google account?
Hi all,
We recently swapped our displays around the school to use ChromeOS Flex in Kiosk mode, which would then flip through a Google Slides presentation using the 'publish to web' feature. Very recently the trust has disabled external sharing across their schools, which has made these displays useless and display a Login to Google prompt. I completely understand their point of view of privacy and safeguarding reasons.
Is there a way for me to make these auto-login to a Google account without needing to remote in? Or is there a different approach you would do for this? Let me know if you'd like me to elaborate or clarify on anything.
Thanks all,
https://redd.it/1njmm6v
@r_k12sysadmin
Securly - creating a secondary policy
We’ve implemented Securly this fall and it’s been fairly smooth! I’m looking for a possible solution to the following case: let’s say I have a group of students where we want to allow a certain block of websites that we would define on a policy. Is it possible to apply a base student policy, as well as a secondary policy that would allow additional websites to appear?
https://redd.it/1nivq5q
@r_k12sysadmin
Discord/Slack?
I saw a post where this subreddit had a slack site, but when I tried to get invite it was it was deleted? I think a discord or slack would be good, especially during testing times we could collaborate and see if something is down?
https://redd.it/1nhot9k
@r_k12sysadmin
How to intervene on storage issues?
I have a number of students that have filled up their allotted storage.
My first question is when I initially set it, I used 5 GB for storage for each student. Is that unreasonable? If it is I can change that but I am looking for some opinions.
My second question is is there any way to limit individual apps? The reason I bring that up is a number of these kids are just sending each other a massive number of emails and their email is taking up almost all five GB. Can I limit that or set it up so that pictures they send each other don't take as much space?
Thanks
https://redd.it/1ngaiwj
@r_k12sysadmin
Logging into Chromebook after password change
Is there a setting in the Admin Console to disable the need to go through the forgot old password -> Local data will be deleted -> continue anyway steps? So that the user just logs in with the new password and wipes the old data?
https://redd.it/1nf56ng
@r_k12sysadmin
College Board AP Lockdown Browser Extension
We're getting the attached error message after installing the College Board AP Lockdown Browser Extension on our school-owned Chromebooks.
Any ideas? We cleared the cookies, updated the OS, and rebooted.
https://preview.redd.it/tg0osx3s0sof1.jpg?width=494&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=16b6c389fd22b1be2669eaa927a3640b02758475
https://redd.it/1nfas4o
@r_k12sysadmin
Top 5 Trending Back-to-School Topics
https://k12techtalkpodcast.com/e/back-to-school-tech-trends-2025-budget-cuts-ai-in-classrooms-phone-bans/ and all major podcast platforms
We unpack our top five back-to-school trends shaping K-12 technology in 2025. Topics include shifting budgets and funding pressures, rising costs for materials and software, widespread school cell phone policies and bell-to-bell enforcement, the rapid expansion of AI tools in classrooms (including Notebook LM and Gemini), and growing school safety technology demands.
Also, Our new Swag Store is OPEN - Including k12sysadmin t-shirts and Josh t-shirts (lol)
https://redd.it/1nf56gp
@r_k12sysadmin
Alternative for adding another employee
Has anyone implemented AI, chatbots, or another system to make managing help desk tickets easier? Our two-person department often gets overwhelmed, and we’re exploring ways to automate some of our processes instead of adding another employee.
Edit: does anyone have a good remote support software for support (example: Connectwise Control)?
https://redd.it/1nepqf5
@r_k12sysadmin
snake.io
any ideas how students are getting around snake.io block on blocksi these days?
https://redd.it/1nej7g9
@r_k12sysadmin
Private school technology and the modern classroom + AMA
Just wanted to share (for the first time) how our school has transitioned from BYOD to class-provided chromebook carts and also our other technology. (Georgia, Forsyth County)
When covid hit in 2020, our school ended up utilizing google classroom for the first time. Upon deciding August 2020 to provide online zoom plus in person classes, the administration at the time also decided to implement iPad BYOD.
Now, like many others I'm sure, we have staff that are not great with technology. August 2020 was a tough tough year for our staff because we integrated into every class a dedicated zoom pc attached to a 65" screen at the back of the class and a hanging logitech brio web cam in every class so that online students could be a part of class just like everyone else. This was actually pretty overwhelming for our staff. On top of that, I was out for the very first 3 weeks of the start of school (after preplanning) with covid, so I was not very able to help with technology. I'm pretty much the only tech person the school has.
After that first school year with zoom, we didn't really use it much afterwards as the world went back to regular classroom teaching. BUT, we kept the BYOD policy and the school even invested in digital-only books to try and save money.
By around the 3rd year, BYOD was pretty terrible but admin wanted to keep it going as a change would require a major financial investment on the school's end. This third year around thanksgiving, technology was approved to swap out the old lenovo computers in the computer lab to M2 mac minis. Paired with Mosyle, this was a much needed and a much appreciated upgrade for our students. This opened up the opportunity to provide a really nice video editing and graphic design class.
Leading up to the 2025-2026 school year, many parents started to voice their frustration about the BYOD policy to the point of them choosing other schools for the kids. Admin was finally convinced that a drastic change needs to take place if we are going to move forward.
This summer, after approval, we ordered for our upper school (6th - 12th grade) 80 chromebooks, split into 4 roaming carts). Demoing around 4 or 5 chromebook filtering solutions, we settled on Aristotle. We liked them for their all-in-one bundle and that they work with device licensing instead of a license per user. Majority of companies sell their solutions in packages (class management license, then user awareness management license, filter license, etc..) and none of them license by the device.
On top of that, right as we were closing the deal for Aristotle, their sales rep mentioned they also work with Macs. I was even more excited, because by now, we were not very satisfied with Mosyle's ability to filter on the student mac minis (however, it's MDM is overall great).
After some hiccups implementing licensing on the chromebooks, we finally got them up and running fully filtered and working great. As for the macs, I worked closely with the Aristotle engineers to resolve some filter agent hiccups taking place. Somehow mosyle was getting in the way, but in the end, we got them working.
After observing how students are using the chromebooks and even the mac minis with the new filter on them, we made tweaks and played a little cat-n-mouse before landing on a good balance.
In the end, I found that the filter works REALLY well to recognize and block categories and websites students should not have access to. Youtube, being a big one, is also fully disabled, as per feedback from our teachers.
Ai was also a bit of a challenge, as google admin didn't have a feature to disable Ai overviews. Using the google admin console, I was able to push extensions to the student OU that hides ai overviews. That paired with aristotle, so far, the students have not really been able to bypass our systems.
It finally feels like a step forward in the right direction. And our staff is a lot happier about this too.
Feel free to
AutoCAD MSSL vs. NLM vs. SSO
I have been having trouble getting the *.lic file and then trouble getting the NLM system (a.k.a. LMTools) to actually use the file. Then I tried setting up SSO, since that seems to be the replacement in half a year anyway, but I can't get that working with Google Workspace after two attempts. Now I find myself wondering why I'm going through this trying instead of just installing AutoCAD and Revit manually on the roughly 100 Windows computers that need them. If I'm going to have to uninstall last year's version and install this year's version every time anyway, what's the actual advantage? I'm still spending days on this while my teachers lack the software for all that time.
Is there a point to it that I'm missing? An advantage to each version that would be worth pursuing?
Heck, even a way to smoothly and completely uninstall them from the System context would be nice, so I can automate it with the tools that automate the installation of almost all other software.
https://redd.it/1nduw9j
@r_k12sysadmin
Google chromebook sign in issue
Any one else seeing some of their students not being able to sign into their chromebooks this morning? I've had reports from a couple of our elementary sites; not all students are affected, just a sporadic number. Nothing shows up on the workspace status page, either.
EDIT: we are in the midwest.
Thanks!
https://redd.it/1nka7y9
@r_k12sysadmin
Google Admin, entire OU not auto-connecting to WiFi
Our whole High School Student OU isn't automatically connecting to WiFi. I've double checked all the settings and it's very much all still set to restrict each device to a managed SSID when in range, teacher SSIDs are forbidden, and it's set to the correct SSID and password for students. Almost all devices are in the High School OU, some aren't, but that doesn't seem to be related since we've had samples from either the HS OU or the root OU.
We tried to change the HS Student SSID password this morning because somehow students found out what it was, so we changed it and reflected the changes in Google. Every connection attempt spits out a "Bad Password" error.
Has anyone encountered either of these issues or knows otherwise what I can do to fix it? Thanks.
https://redd.it/1nk6f4j
@r_k12sysadmin
Stop Motion app for Chromebook
Hello everyone,
We've been using Clap Motion at school for two years. It's a good app, but they're discontinuing it. Does anyone know of a replacement app? Paid or free?
Thanks!
Hi,
We used
https://redd.it/1nk321w
@r_k12sysadmin
Replacing a master switch in a stack
Hello everyone, I have a switch in a stack that keeps rebooting after about 10 minutes or so. The time is very sporadic. As I'm typing this, the switch has been on for probably 30 minutes. I don't know much about stacks. I do have a same make/model replacement with same firmware available. I have the config of the whole stack and when I do a sh switch command I receive the output below. The switch that is having the issue is the one with the MAC .6180, which I assume is the master based on the output. Someone said I could literally just unplug the faulty switch and connect a new switch as long as it has the same firmware. Any help on this would be appreciated. Thank you.
3-7TC1P#sh switch
Switch/Stack Mac Address : 00d6.fe4c.6180
H/W Current
Switch# Role Mac Address Priority Version State
\----------------------------------------------------------
1 Member 5008.ac4b.9f80 1 4 Ready
2 Member 2c0b.e90a.6f80 1 4 Ready
3 Member 5008.ac4c.2580 1 4 Ready
*4 Master 00d6.fe4c.6180 1 4 Ready
https://redd.it/1njmarx
@r_k12sysadmin
Server 2019 Print Server Overwriting User Set Preferences?
I'm sure I am overlooking something here, but I feel like I'm going nuts.
Running windows print server on a machine with server 2019. Printers are pushed out via active directory. All of that is fine. However, we have it set so printed documents are sent to a mailbox first before printing out. Then the user can change settings, etc, as needed at the printer. Each teacher/employee has their own mailbox, therefore they have to set it in Printer Preferences, output method, store, then set a mailbox number.
Problem is, this works for multiple days or weeks, but then the output method just gets set to Print instead of store. I don't see any evidence of the staff members making this change.
Has anyone seen this before or had this issue? All printers are Canon IR-Adv 8986/8995. This happens if I set the server defaults to store and choose mailbox 99 for instance. They can change it to their own mailbox number, but it eventually changes it back to 99.
Any thoughts or things to check would be appreciated!
https://redd.it/1njes73
@r_k12sysadmin
Happy IT Professionals Day!
Thank you all for the incredible work you do each day to keep schools connected, supported, and moving forward.…And, great timing, we found this laptop today.
https://redd.it/1niqf06
@r_k12sysadmin
GoGuardian launch issue (Windows app)
Hi All,
Any folks using GG?
Have a weird issue on a few Windows devices where the GG is installed, but the app doesn't launch automatically, and when I launch it manually, it seems to just force close. It's not all the devices, but a handful every now and then. Any one else ran into this issue?
https://redd.it/1nhl3ki
@r_k12sysadmin
MDF Upgrade and Cleanup
https://redd.it/1ng1o0a
@r_k12sysadmin
A potential option for Cybersecurity Awareness and Training
Hey everyone!
I just wanted to share this with you all, as we have been working closely with a company called Cyberhoot now for the past two years. They are another, much more affordable option for Cybersecurity training. For those of us in the New England area, they are based out of Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
The staff is incredibly kind and helpful, and fast to respond when support is needed. Their platform is comparable to some of the bigger names out there (I am sure more than a few of us have used KnowBe4 or other, similar products). Personally, I just like the fact that their videos are short, sweet, and to the point. We all know how well staff retain cyber awareness training when it drags for 10-15 minutes.
They also have an excellent platform for phishing simulations, and their entire suite is incredibly easy to use. Combined with the smaller trainings, and the greater attention to positive reinforcement, we saw immediate success in adapting the program.
If anyone would like to ask me any questions regarding our time using Cyberhoot, please ask away! We are not doing this as a paid promotion, but rather because we genuinely want to see success for this company, as they have been a huge help to us.
Thanks for your time!
https://redd.it/1nf6whn
@r_k12sysadmin
Spare Chromebooks
Our middle school students all have a chromebook and they are resposible for taking them home each night and charging them. They are also suposed to bring them into school each day. We constalty have students who leave them at home or don't charge them the night before. I'm looking to see what other schools do when this happens. Do you issue a spare for the student? How do you keep track of who has a spare that day and how is it returned? We have tried this in the past and it was a disaster. Students just kept leaving their chromebooks at home knowing they could just get a spare instead. Then the spares just get misplaced and never returned. I use really old machines as my spares in case this happens but just wanted to know what others are doing.
https://redd.it/1nf4n70
@r_k12sysadmin
Security Watch 9/12/25
On K12TechPro, we've launched a weekly cyber threat intelligence and vulnerability newsletter with NTP and K12TechPro. We'll post the "public" news to k12sysadmin from each newsletter. For the full "k12 techs only" portion (no middle schoolers, bad guys, vendors, etc. allowed), log into k12techpro.com and visit the Cybersecurity Hub.
A surge in scanning activity targeting Cisco’s Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) devices has raised cybersecurity concerns after researchers detected more than 25,000 IPs probing ASA login pages and related services. Experts warn that such reconnaissance often precedes vulnerability disclosures and exploitation campaigns, urging teams to limit login portal exposure, enforce MFA, and monitor logs closely.
In piracy news, the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) and Egyptian authorities shut down Streameast, a massive illegal re-streaming platform with 80 domains and approximately 136 million monthly visits. While this takedown is a significant win against digital piracy, experts note the broader issue persists, with pirated sites frequently re-emerging under new domains and often carrying cybersecurity risks.
The MS-ISAC issued an advisory on Android OS vulnerabilities (CVE-2025-38352, CVE-2025-48543) that enable remote code execution and privilege escalation without user interaction. Affecting devices lacking the most recent patch level, the flaws can be exploited via malicious apps, crafted media files, or browser/messaging apps.
Finally, NTP analysts reported a phishing/scareware campaign abusing Azure blob storage domains (web[.\]core[.\]windows[.\]net) to trick users into calling fake tech support lines. The attack underscores the sophistication of social engineering tactics and reinforces the importance of user training to identify and respond to such threats.
https://redd.it/1nf63nv
@r_k12sysadmin
Blackbaud Disabling 'Inactive' Students
Got a weird one at one of our sites that use Blackbaud. Here's the scenario.
We create kiddos when then enroll in KG. They are in Blackbaud from the start, everything is great. The following year they are still in Blackbaud but now inactive? Basically we have to unlink the student's email in Blackbaud, then relink, accept the invite / ToS, etc. and then things are kosher again.
This has to be something I can correct long term. If I bring the kiddo into Blackbaud, they are an active student. I don't understand why they think otherwise, etc. Plus for a young kiddo this is just a pain in the ass. The quick fix is just don't let the kiddo go inactive & sign in at a random point but again...we're talking literal children.
Anyone have a hunch here before I go chucking emails Blackbaud's way...I can't feel like this an exclusive to one of our schools issue.
https://redd.it/1nel29w
@r_k12sysadmin
AMA
https://redd.it/1neccxh
@r_k12sysadmin
Google Classroom Guardian invite issues
I'm getting a few reports from teachers that parents when getting the guardian invites have to click on a link which then brings them to a prompt to enter the class code. I'm not sure why some parents are getting this while others are getting linked up just fine. I know they should not be prompted for a class code, just trying to see why some are getting this.
https://redd.it/1ne7dib
@r_k12sysadmin
Windows 11 24H2 - Repeated issue with the WIFI Network Adapter "uninstalling" itself
So we have a fleet of HP ProBook 455 G8 for our staff and ever since the update to Win 11 24H2 a chunk of them will randomly lose any WIFI options. They just completely disappear and when you look in device manager the network adapter is not there. A power cycle via holding down the power button for a good 45+ seconds fixes it but only temporarily. Has anyone one else run into this and found a permanent fix? It seems to only affect that specific model but after digging around online other people reported the issue on other models of laptops as well. The teachers are becoming restless...
https://redd.it/1ndpbco
@r_k12sysadmin
