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Reddit’s r_k12sysadmin Credits: @r_channels @reddit2telegram
retest.us down?
it seems that retest.us is down, does anyone know of another site for keyboard/webcam testing?
https://redd.it/1poxdgb
@r_k12sysadmin
Chromebook will restart in -XX,XXX seconds
We get this randomly on Chromebooks throughout the district and I'm not sure why. The only solution I've found is a powerwash. Any ideas as to the root cause?
https://preview.redd.it/1yyaohz4jm7g1.jpg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6f1099df8fb28ce60fd0d06b153d1e19266ef433
https://redd.it/1pocb8r
@r_k12sysadmin
YouTube "Movies & TV"
Has anyone successfully been able to block the YouTube Movie & TV? It's URL isn't the same format as a channel, which I suspect is because it's YT and not just a user.
https://redd.it/1po8h9o
@r_k12sysadmin
Asset management - Currently with AssetTiger
So we had AssetTiger when I got the job at the school 3 years ago so it was already in place. We would order labels each year and we would get the 2,500 asset subscription covered each year. I guess they are getting rid of this and its going to be $440/year. Is there anything out there that is better for the price or cheaper? We are a google school so if the asset management can be synced with Google that would be great. Just looking for suggestions on different products before I request demos from these companies and they bother me for the next year. Thanks!
https://redd.it/1po2i3p
@r_k12sysadmin
CTL Chromebooks?
Does anyone use CTL for their student chromebooks? I've used then a few times, but they're generally out-priced by the budget manufacturers like Lenovo, Dell, and HP. However, I have purchased from then a small number of times. I've been impressed with their customer-centric behavior. They claim to make it easy to get parts for repairs, but I haven't needed to do this yet. They also appear to have an accidental damage policy that is lower cost than I'm used to using. So now I'm considering them for my next purchase of student devices. Before I do that, I want to ask what experiences others have had with the hardware. Has it been reliable? Has repair service been an effective service? Have they been reasonable about what they accept for repairs under the accidental damage plan or do they interrogate you and then reject things?
Thanks in advance for anything you can tell me about your experiences with CTL chromebooks or their repair services!
https://redd.it/1po0i6f
@r_k12sysadmin
Google Apple Platform SSO Feature Request
Google now has a feature request open for Apple Platform SSO support: https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/460743384
If you're interested in the feature, you can star the feature request and comment. If it gets enough visibility, Google may finally implement it. It would be huge for my school district as we're currently still AD binding all our Macs. Moving to a 3rd party tool like Xcreds or JAMF Connect never appealed to us. What do you think?
https://redd.it/1pnhpbv
@r_k12sysadmin
Chromebook Time Issues
Anyone experiencing time sync issues on chromebooks? I have had multiple students and staff come to me today saying the clocks are several days behind on their chrome devices, This is causing issues with google drive and everything that relies on drive to work. I have not made any network configuration or firewall changes nor have I touched any of our web filter rules. I did add time.google.com to the exceptions list just in case, however, we use NTP on prem and our primary NTP server has the correct time as do all of our windows PCs and the domain controllers. Our DHCP servers send option 42 to all clients with the on prem time server.
https://redd.it/1pnd1c8
@r_k12sysadmin
Chromebook Screenshot Extension
Hey everyone,
We recently implemented a policy that blocks students from recording video on their Chromebooks. However, this same setting also prevents them from taking screenshots, which we would still like to allow.
We’ve explored extensions as a workaround, but most rely on the Chrome API, which is restricted by this setting.
Has anyone encountered this issue and found a solution that enables screenshots without reintroducing video recording capabilities?
Thanks in advance!
https://redd.it/1pl5fc6
@r_k12sysadmin
How do we block Google AI search results?
Hello,
Teachers have reported that students are using the AI Search button on Google.com instead of performing standard searches, which is allowing them to bypass assignment requirements. Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear possible to block this feature or redirect the link at the network or Google Admin level.
Aside from classroom management and teacher oversight, does anyone have alternative solutions or strategies that have worked in your environment?
Thanks.
https://redd.it/1pl1dsz
@r_k12sysadmin
Canvas....!!!
We have been experiencing some weirdness with Canvas in the last couple of days. Lots of teachers have complained that averages are not calculating correctly, that they can't put grades in, that the assignments the created do not show up in the gradebook, although they will show up on the list if you search for them, and that the order of the columns in the gradebook rearranges itself when they add new assignments.
With no phone (please let me know if I am wrong) and only email support, getting help is a slow process which is aggravating to everyone, specially on the last day of the quarter, when we are getting ready for exams this coming week.
The reply to my emails (not a quick response either) asked for more details and a screen recording of issues. When I was recording, suddenly things are working again, so I can't replicate the issues. Only one teacher is still reporting some of this weirdness, related to gradebook's column order.
My questions:
\- anyone else with these kind of issues?
\- what are your experiences with Canvas support like, generally? This episode is making me question a few things...
https://redd.it/1pkx6bh
@r_k12sysadmin
Lightspeed log reader?
Does anyone know how to read / parse lightspeed logs on windows? I'm already in debug + verbose mode.
I gave Gemini samples and it helped, but I don't know enough to correct it.
The goal is to aide in filtering troubleshooting. Ideally in the end I could run PowerShell against a log file and see allowed, blocked and SSL cert errors. The most important being SSL.
The allowed / blocked eventually make it to the web reporting service, but SSL errors do not.
Each entry is multi line and there are sections I'm thinking one may be the traffic and the other the policy lookup. Still trying to figure it out.
However I cannot find anything that indicates ssl errors / pinned certificates.
I got a call yesterday our banking app stopped working and the bank sent an updated allow list. I know from experience I'd need to add an ssl exclusion.
I am hoping to find evidence in the logs showing that is the issue. However the logs read to me as if everything was allowed.
The log reads in part
acl allowing 127.0.0.1:64385 => www.mybannksite.com
Adding the new exclusion worked, I'm just trying to make future troubleshooting easier.
Thanks,
https://redd.it/1pks3yq
@r_k12sysadmin
Blocking .exe installs via GPO
Hello everyone,
I have a lab setup for one of my classes and I was wondering if there is a way to block the students from running and installing .exe files like Minecraft and VPNs etc. I have tried blocking .exe files from executing from their downloads folder only, so it doesn’t interfere with software and preexisting .exe that they need to run for their class.
Thanks!
https://redd.it/1pkibc3
@r_k12sysadmin
ChromeOS - Bypass locked testing browser with screen capture/google lens
Students found a way to use the volume buttons to trigger a screen capture/Google Lens search even inside a locked testing browser.. This allows them to search for answers using the AI capabilities of Google Lens/Search. To fix it, I have disabled Screen Capture and Google Lens in the Google Admin Console.
Students discovered that by using the volume buttons, they could bypass the security features of the locked browser.
1. Trigger: Student presses the volume buttons.
2. They browse to the ChromeOS screen capture tool, taking a screenshot of the test question.
3. After the screenshot is taken, a notification appears offering "Search with Google Lens."
4. Clicking this opens a Google Search/Lens interface (often with AI assistance for interpreting images) over the locked browser window, allowing them to search for the answer while the test is still running.
The fix we implemented is to disable Screen Capture and Google Lens overlay.
1. Log in: Go to the Google Admin Console (admin.google.com).
2. Navigate: Devices > Chrome > Settings > User & browser settings.
3. Select OU: Make sure you select the Organizational Unit (OU) for your students.
4. Action 1: Disable Screen Capture
Search for: Screen capture
Set the policy from "Enable screen capture" to Disable screen capture.
5. Action 2: Disable Google Lens / Contextual Search
Search for: Google Lens
Disable settings like "Google Lens overlay" and "Search with Google Lens context menu item."
https://redd.it/1pk401f
@r_k12sysadmin
Windows 11 LTSC, Pro, Enterprise, or Education?
We’ve been running Windows 10 LTSB/LTSC ever since we moved to Windows 10. For the most part it’s been great — the only real “gotcha” we’ve hit was when our state testing vendor announced they would no longer support versions earlier than 1809. We had to rush a reimage to stay compliant.
Now the state is saying anything below 24H2 won’t be supported, and Windows 10 LTSC tops out at 21H2. Since we’ve shifted the majority of student devices to Chromebooks, I’ve got until April before this becomes a real issue. I’ve already built a 21H2 LTSC image and have been slowly rolling it out; so far no issues.
That said, I’m starting to wonder whether sticking with LTSC is the right move. I’ve looked at Education edition, and I’m considering whether it’s time to bite the bullet and switch to Pro or Enterprise instead. What keeps me on LTSC is how clean it is — no bloatware, no Store apps, fewer things for students to break, and less overhead to manage. We’ve run it for years without problems.
For context: we’re a district with about 3,700 students and 800 staff. Devices are locked down tightly with GPO, and we reimage every 1–2 years depending on what other projects we have going on.
Curious how others are handling the 24H2 testing requirement and whether anyone has made the switch from LTSC to Education/Enterprise because of this. Is it worth it, or should we continue with LTSC and plan for a bigger move later?
https://redd.it/1pj8ii8
@r_k12sysadmin
Ivanti Neurons MDM
Anyone even heard of this?
https://redd.it/1pjb94e
@r_k12sysadmin
Looking for more seasoned advice on testing day delinma
I work for a Charter high school of about 400 students. Only tech. I started about 14 months ago.
When I started I had three to four weeks to prep for a testing day. Being new to edu, I did not know what PreSAT and PreACT being on the same day all envolved. All I know is that they told me how many devices I needed and I was 30 devices short. We ended up borrowing from a local school. The day went fine, but I didn't want a repeat. I hadthe school purchase 40 more devices.
It being my first time doing this I did not think about a few things. One being, that devices break at a certain rate at a highschool and the other being that class sizes are not always the same. So.. even though I hoped to avoid the situation, I was once again about 30 devices short and had to borrow devices from the other school.
Testing day came. I was told I needed 110 devices. Between me and the other school there was a little over 110 devices. Well.. 40 additional students needed devices and the day ended up a choactic mess that people are still talking about. (happened in Oct.)
I talked to the past tech of the school who admitted that that testing day was very tough. He agree tha having both PreSAT and PreACT on the same day was causing issues. I never ran into issues on any other testing day. Only this one testing day.
So I did the work on trying to change this to a two day test and thought I was doing a good job at it, until yesterday when the admin and staff turned against it due to calendar issues. I provided clear details on why I couldnt cover it and was left with vague answers of providing the devices, but im unsure if they know the cost of that.
So I am going to break things down. I want a fair assesment on my situation to make sure I am not missing obvious solutions.
First off the numbers given to me were wrong and also the testing admin (who is no longer at our school) failed to communicate to parents that they needed to bring in their year loaners.
about 115 sophmores and 63 juniors testing on that day.
28 sohpmores have year loaners and 25 juniors have year loaners.
Howver not every junior tested, so I don't know the exact number of day loaners for those juinors testing. So I am going to be generouse and say 53 year loaners..
That means I would have needed to provide 127 devices at best case scenerio. Also btw I was getting these numbers after the fact, becuase number of students testing was not provided to me. I trusted the testing lead at the time.
Problem is, I have 84 devices on a good day to hand out to students. That means best case scenerio I was 43 devices short.
I recieved pushback from buying 50-70 devices, but then they don't want the testing day to be two days. So now I am going to get a budget ready for how much I need to support this testing day.
The factors at play:
There is a rate of devices that break and are too expensive or old to replace each year. I am now going to need to figure out that number, which may be hard becuase I didn't foresee neeidng to.
Some students will forget their year loaners so we have to plan on some buffer.
I only have one charging cart. I was pushing for a 2nd one, but even if they let me expand my inventory by 50-80, I'd need 3-4 carts in total to charge these devices.
So what do I do? I guess I need to figure out how many devices I would need to buy to cover the testing if done on the same day again. I need to break down how much money it is going to cost us to cover this testing day.
Honestly, if the provide me the budget then fair , I'll do it. However, this is a $30-60k decision from my persective. For one testing day?
Am I thinking this through well? I am open to advice, becuase if they do provide me the budget then I want to make sure I do this right.
https://redd.it/1pov6mb
@r_k12sysadmin
AP Lockdown Browser Not Locked Down
We're battling students who are using the Windows 11 virtual desktops to bypass the lockdown portion of the lockdown browser. They start the exam (in this case practice) and then either create another desktop, or move to one already created, where they apply their search skills to find the answer to the question.
I'm really shocked that this is not detected by the Lockdown Browser. Any one else seeing this or able to offer any suggestions?
We use LanSchool to monitor students, but it's next to impossible to watch them all simultaneously. I thought LanSchool might be able to block everything but the Lockdown Browser, but I'm pretty sure it's just running Chrome, so at the very least that would have to be allowed.
https://redd.it/1poa40j
@r_k12sysadmin
Google Cloud Directory Sync update (5.0.41) to handle Archive licenses
GCDS was updated to 5.0.41 yesterday and in the release notes it says it handles the Archive license in one operation instead of multiple. I know some folks were looking to move off GCDS and onto other license sync tools to avoid having to sync twice when users are assigned an Archive license. From the changelog:
Added a new Enable license management for users in Archive and Unarchive rules box to the licenses configuration settings. When this box is checked, GCDS:
Performs license operations for archived and unarchived users during the same process, avoiding the need for a second sync.
Supports license removal for archived users.
Supports license assignment, removal, and update for unarchived users.
https://redd.it/1po26dz
@r_k12sysadmin
Any help with Youtube? requiring login for entire district
On Friday Youtube started asking our district to login to verify we aren't bots every time we need to load a video. If it was once, fine, but it's every video, and whats even worse is you can't play embedded videos now because you can't sign in because you can't do anything as it's just a black box and you can't click on anything to login.
I've tried Google Workspace Support, Youtube Premium Support, YouTubeTV Support, I posted on their u/TeamYouTube account on Twitter, I posted in the community help, I can't get anywhere. Google workspace tells me go through YouTubetv and they will get me YouTube. YoutubeTV just disconnects saying it's the wrong department. I even did the feedback on the YouTube page as they recommended, but it's been since friday and no word. I found a page that you can report an IP for the wrong country and tried that too but it says that it'll take a month or more to hear anything.
I have no way of getting through to anyone, no way of getting any support. It's our IP being blacklisted and I need it lifted. Changing IP's is not an option, and I really don't know where to turn.
Does anyone know a path I can go down that might get me any support? I know this isn't the right sub for this but I'm out of options and you guys are usually on top of my issues.
Any and I mean any guidance would be appreciated.
Read and did what I could on these:
This one says click help center, but it doesn't open, then I find it but the directions are not working.
https://support.google.com/youtube/thread/309935997/ips-from-my-isp-need-to-log-to-confirm-we-are-not-a-bots?hl=en
This one I can't even figure out where to report anything
https://transparencyreport.google.com
Here is my X post
https://x.com/TeamYouTube/status/2000643985023344961
Below is what 2 different support chats told me. The First is Google Workspace, the second is Youtube TV Support. Neither directions produced any support.
This is what Support tells me:
"Also, I highly suggest to contact the Youtube team so that they can check if your Youtube settings for this workspace account is properly configured. To contact the YouTube team, you may use this link: *https://support.google.com/youtubetv/gethelp* Under "I need help with my" select "YouTube TV" > Under "Tell us what we can help with:" let the customer explain their concern > Next > Click Other > Next Step > Next Step > Select best contact option. This is for YouTube TV Support but we'll use their platform to get YouTube Support. After the chat has been created, you may ask the support agent to transfer you to YouTube Support.
In this case, you need to submit a report for your IP address problem here: *https://support.google.com/websearch/workflow/9308722* You will receive an email update within the next 24 hours from the dedicated team since to set your proper expectations, the issues with IP address being blocked by the system is out of our scope of support here"
This was another Support Person:
"use this link: *https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6305537* Just wait for at least 20 seconds and a chat box for YouTube support will show up at the right-bottom part of the screen."
I'm also did everything in this video:
*https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3GL\_MPt8ng*
https://redd.it/1po1rqq
@r_k12sysadmin
Aristotle K12 (Current Linewize Customer)
Our Linewize subscription is up after the 25/26 school year. We don't have a need to move away from Linewize, but I just sat in on an Aristotle demo. The demo had too much information, and I am curious about others who have implemented Aristotle and were previous Linewize users. Or if you moved away from Aristotle to Linewize, what is your opinion?
Thanks, guys!
https://redd.it/1pnkj6d
@r_k12sysadmin
3D printer discussion.
Hey everyone, I looked and see past posts in terms of people inquiring what printer or software to use.
where I'm at is, how heavily do you guys control what is being purchased and how much you support and service these printers?
We have them at all of our buildings but tech was originally minimally involved but know we are wondering how involved we should get. Maybe decide which brand we like the best and want to be the most prepared to service ect.
https://redd.it/1pnhq5d
@r_k12sysadmin
Google Colab Pros and Cons
I know someone recently posted about Google Colab, but it didn't get much traction. Our school district is currently looking at implementing this for high school students. From what I have read, Colab can:
1. Grant full access to Drive. This means malicious code could potentially exfil student data if run.
2. Public notebooks can easily be pasted into a student's notebook and run without any precautions.
3. The lab environment is not isolated meaning all code runs in prod.
4. Colab is not FERPA compliant.
Is there anything else that I can use to push back on this? Unfortunately, there are some teachers in the district that think they know more than the IT department so there will be push back on this, especially since it's a free product.
Thanks in advance.
https://redd.it/1pnd1jf
@r_k12sysadmin
Acadience and Enrollments
So, we have an advanced STEM program run out of an elementary and kids from across our district are enrolled (say about 100 of them). In Acadience, that building shows 100 more students than they should have because of this. We sync Clever to Acadience. In the Clever sharing rules, the sections for this STEM program are not part of our ruleset logic. However, ALO is picking up these kids from Clever because they are "enrolled" at this particular elementary school. We use PowerSchool SIS. I've been around with both ALO support and Clever support and neither one seem to know how to solve this. I don't recall it being an issue in prior years. I feel like ALO should have an advanced escalation where they can filter out things that aren't covered by Clever somehow. Maybe I'm dreaming but this is going to affect our data reviews coming up in the new calendar year. Has anyone run into this? I've tried re-thinking/re-tooling our Clever rules but that seems to have no impact and sometimes causes other problems.
https://redd.it/1pl2eqc
@r_k12sysadmin
For those in Director-level roles—did you pursue a doctorate, and was it worth it?
I’m currently in my second role in K-12 EdTech and hold an MBA. I’m under 30 and debating whether to go back for a doctorate to help position myself for more management-focused career growth.
If you’re in a Director seat (or higher), did you earn a doctorate? What field was it in, and did it actually help your career? Any advice is appreciated!
I currently am in a sysadmin role overseeing a district.
https://redd.it/1pkzqye
@r_k12sysadmin
Are Smart Glasses in your school?
https://k12techtalkpodcast.com/e/kids-screens-smart-glasses-are-schools-ready-for-wearable-cameras/ and all major podcast platforms
We discuss students and screen time - including Australia’s ban on social media accounts for under 16, a NTIA listening session on excessive screen time in schools, and proposed Missouri legislation limiting K‑5 screen use and tech‑required homework.
The main topic is on the rising issue of wearable smart glasses (Meta/Ray Ban) on campus - privacy, covert recording risks, policy implications, and how districts might respond.
https://redd.it/1pkxp6m
@r_k12sysadmin
Do you have laptop protocols for classrooms?
Is like to institute better classroom management of classroom laptops and could use someplace to start.
https://redd.it/1pkqyzf
@r_k12sysadmin
Moving staff and student to one SSID. Need advice.
We currently have two SSIDS. One for staff, one for students. Both are 802.1x based with W2secure. They talked my director into moving to one ssid and want to push the VLAN info in an attribute at the time of association. That's clear-cut, cool with me.
However, we run different ACLs, client isolation at layer 2, bonjour forwarding, and rate limiting depending on if you are a staff or student. How can I get these attributes pushed down to the AP when the user associates? Or is there a way to configure the wireless profile and tie that to an attribute?
If we can't run the different profiles or push it down, I really dont think this is a good idea.
I need to configure this for Ruckus and Meraki. I'm hoping there is someone else out there with either product that is doing something similar and can help a fellow brother out.
Thanks!!
https://redd.it/1pk9iu8
@r_k12sysadmin
Special ed student needs ruggedized iPad for AAC. Is there a case that can withstand a direct impact to the screen?
https://redd.it/1pk237p
@r_k12sysadmin
SSL Cert lifetimes changing.
I went to renew some certs that I use on appliances/applications that do not support ACME, and I found something that had flown under the radar for me. The CA/Browser Forum voted back in April to reduce certificate life by the following schedule:
March 15, 2026: Maximum validity drops to 200 days
March 15, 2027: Drops again to 100 days
March 15, 2029: Final limit set at 47 days
Also, domain validation life tags along:
March 15, 2026: Domain validation reuse period reduced to 200 days
March 15, 2027: Drops again to
100 days March 15, 2029: Final limit set at 10 days
Basically, we are being forced to automate public certificates over the next few years; so you may want to add that to your evaluation criteria for new appliances/applications.
https://redd.it/1pjavc5
@r_k12sysadmin
What are you doing for non-interactive displays for conference room or signage?
Hi All,
Wondering what you all are using in meeting rooms and other spots where you need a large display but don't need touch or any built-in interactive Android.. etc. Just a big screen with a couple of HDMI in ports, and no inclination to show a commercial for the latest Netflix original on whim of its own.
I imagine there are folks here working in districts with and without a reasonable budget for projects like this. I'm interested in all approaches!
Thank you!
https://redd.it/1pjc82a
@r_k12sysadmin
