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Reddit’s r_k12sysadmin Credits: @r_channels @reddit2telegram
Thank you for all the help. I am offically moving on from k12 (not rulling out education in my future)
After a year and a half in k12 I am moving on. I know some of you have seen my posts over that time and have responded with advice and encouragement. Thank you! It helped make a rough expiernece in k12 a bit more manageable.
A lot of advice was to create stronger boundaries and get admin on my side.
Boudaries where not recieved well and I become burned out. Sometimes I think it is better to move on then try to keep fixing things. I finally landed a role and took it.
That said, I really enjoyed the meaningful aspect of working in k12. I have considered higher ed in my future. I will leave that door open. After the experience I had in k12 I am a bit hesistent to do this agian. But I never know. I've been told not to let a bad experience ruin K12.
In order to keep things professional I will not go into further detail of the circumstances, but I am very relieved to be moving on. I've never felt more burned out in my entire life. I don't think being a solo IT fits me.
Some of you recommended this as the solution to my problems. So my problem is solved.
This means I will not have this account soon. A few of you are going to be relieved to not see my posts I think.
https://redd.it/1ucr8r2
@r_k12sysadmin
HPE going after VMware
/r/virtualization/comments/1u8vqxh/shots_fired_hpe_going_after_vmware/
https://redd.it/1u9qpnt
@r_k12sysadmin
Lightspeed MDM
Does anyone currently use Lightspeed as an MDM preferably for Apple devices? They have offered MDM services since 2012 and was curious if anyone actually used it.
https://redd.it/1u9k9zn
@r_k12sysadmin
One kid, 5 different laptops. All the same problem
Ok. I just kinda want a second set of eyes on this cause I think I’m crazyz
One student has been through 5 different laptops (his original laptop, the same laptop after it came back from Dell with a new WiFi card and a new motherboard, the replacement laptop we gave him, and now two spares) all of them exhibiting the same issue with the WiFi card showing a “Code 10” in device manager which means the card encountered a hardware fault and could not be started. It’s an Intel AX211 160 MHz WiFi card in all of them.
I can’t be the only person who thinks this is completely impossible and this kid is somehow screwing with something?
https://redd.it/1u9i5fk
@r_k12sysadmin
Question Regarding Salary
I am the Technology Director for a public school district. A few years ago the Superintendent moved a classroom teacher into my department to serve as a Technology Coach. While my overall annual salary is higher than his our contract lengths are vastly different. I am on a 260-day contract while he remains on a 190-day teacher contract.
When you break it down to a daily or hourly rate, his rate of pay is actually higher than mine despite me being the department head and his supervisor.
I am generally satisfied with my current salary, but this realization makes me wonder if I am leaving money on the table. Is this worth addressing with administration, and if so what is the best approach?
https://redd.it/1u8nbcx
@r_k12sysadmin
Work Order Request Types - Suggestions?
We are moving to a new work order system this summer and being we are starting from the ground up with it, what are your "Work Order Request Types" and what has worked best for you? Example: Teacher goes to submit a work order and selects Internet Issues, etc.
https://redd.it/1u8diqh
@r_k12sysadmin
MacBook Neo real world stress test for staff, I'm impressed.
Before I get hate, I'm not affiliated with Apple. There's no real talk online about the Neo as staff device, so that's why I'm posting this. Love to hear if anyone has any reasons this is a terrible idea... I did just order 5 for a real world pilot program. 2 noob teachers, 2 super users, and that one person who always calls me and tells me their computer is "buggy" will be testing it in the classroom.
We're a small non-profit school here, looking to replace aging windows machines as we transition from Microsoft. Considered going full chrome as students are 1:1, but then saw the Neo as the Air is slightly out of budget (have to buy 150 units)
Was skeptical, so I ordered one to stress test.
Jesus Christ, its impressive for a budget machine.
Heres what I ran.
5 Chrome Windows simultaneously:
Window 1: Google Meet (active meeting, sharing full screen + YouTube video playing simultaneously)
Window 2: 4 Google Sheets tabs, 2 Google Docs tabs, and Gmail
Window 3: Claude, UniFi Panel, Pulseway Admin, AnyDesk Admin, Freshdesk Inbox, OpenEye camera web portal (4x4 live grid)
Window 4: Gmail, Google Classroom, Google Drive, 1 Google Sheets, 2 Google Docs
Window 5: Paylocity, GoGuardian (15-student classroom, all active live monitoring), Google Calendar, Google Admin Console, 3 Reddit tabs
Native apps running at the same time: Slack, VLC, Zoom open with and active meeting with video, Mosyle Manager, AnyDesk remote, Activity Monitor, Terminal & system settings.
Peak RAM: 7.5GB. Zero tabs archived or parked — all active.
The only hiccup: starting a second screen share in Zoom with all of this running. I got the spinning wheel, but only for about 10 seconds. I went and looked... GoGuardian and OpenEye were using the most resources so I killed the GoGuardian tab, and Zoom picked right up and shared the full screen and the video on the other end was great.
That's two simultaneous screen shares plus a live camera grid and all these other tabs logged in and active all at once AND the native apps functioning. I toggled between native apps and tabs, no lag what-so-ever.
That's more than I do on my PC or MacBook pro on an average day and it handled it like a champ for a $499 device. The small part of me that absolutely cringes when I see 8gb of ram in 2026 on a deployed device just got a little smaller; I'm sold.
If it works all teachers and classroom coordinators will get Neo's and Admin will most likely follow suit next year with 13-inch Air's.
We just cant afford Air's for everyone and the teachers use their computers less for high level native apps and more for web based google apps.
https://redd.it/1u7lxq0
@r_k12sysadmin
Making Google Classroom easy for Teachers
Looking for some ideas. Our former SIS was able to within a couple clicks make each of your Google Classrooms for you. You as a teacher only had to accept. We are moving to PowerSchool. Looking for ideas or options to make this change easy for teachers. I was told Clever might be able to. Haven’t played with it. Anybody have something that actually works well.
Thanks in advance
https://redd.it/1u6wbmf
@r_k12sysadmin
Software Install Nostalgia
Not sure why it popped into my head, but what are some software packages you used to install that are no longer relevant?
* Shockwave
* Flash
* Java
Any thing else you might remember?
https://redd.it/1u6efog
@r_k12sysadmin
FACTS -document downloads
does anybody know if there’s a way to download an entire tuition assistance application supporting documents at one time? What I’m told the only way to do it is through one document at a time in individual which when compounded over hundreds of applicants takes a very long time.
https://redd.it/1u3r1wz
@r_k12sysadmin
Google Workspace Permissions for Users
How permissive is your district with sharing settings for students (and staff for that matter) when it comes to Drive and file sharing? Do you allow external sharing for everyone, only staff, some student grade levels, etc.? Do you have allow-listed domains only?
Also, do you allow students to send/receive email both internally and externally? Perhaps also allow-listed domains only?
For districts that’ve tightened down on security and moved from an open policy to more restrictive measures (like allow-listed domains for student Drive and Doc sharing), how did the process go and was it worth it? From the political angle, did you engage with other stakeholders (staff, admins, guardians/students) before making the change(s)?
https://redd.it/1u2k1cc
@r_k12sysadmin
Old Aver Chromecart Divider Solutions?
Greetings all,
This is a long shot but does anyone still have Aver Chromecarts (or similar) with the metal wire dividers in them? Like the C30i? Have any of ya'll found solutions for replacing either the cable management (those clips were a menace to knuckles) and/or the dividers themselves that doesn't include replacing the cart?
As far as the cable management goes I've had some success with adding 3d printed cable holders to the tops of the shelves so the cables hang down, though I need to work on their durability both in being broken and/or pulled down from students yanking the cords anyway. Probably not much I can do there.
For the metal wire dividers those and the screws holding them in have taken a beating. Several carts are missing dividers and most have loose and/or missing screws entirely. Adding some loctite may help with the screw looseness but with how tiny the screws are it really isn't hard to bend them, loose or not. I had worked on a design a few years ago that would have let me run cords through 3d printed dividers but I abandoned it due to it being to thick (losing slots) and it would have taken to much material. Now that I've had a few more years under my belt designing odds and ends I'm thinking about making another, simpler, attempt that would probably be either just the dividers (given I have the hanging cable holders) or running the cables underneath via channels rather than through the dividers.
Wanted to cast a line out here in the off chance someone's figured out a simpler way of going about either of my two pain points short of replacing the cart itself.
https://redd.it/1u29of0
@r_k12sysadmin
Dealing with internal phishing emails, which has led to aggresive measures to contain. Looking for advice.
Hey everyone,
I’m a solo IT Coordinator for a charter school (supporting roughly 400+ users on a Google Workspace Fundamentals tier). I’m currently on 2-3 days of dealing with a massive domain-wide phishing blast, and some staff are pushing for "scorched earth," so I really need a sanity check and some advice from K12 admins.
Over the weekend, a staff account was compromised, from what I believe was a credential-harvesting link. The attacker used her account to blast an internal phishing email to our main distribution lists. The subject line was a "Save the Date" invitation formatted to look like a Paperless Post, leading to a fake login landing page designed to steal more credentials.
I was able to confirm that the attacker was able to bypass 2FA and they did not use one of our devices to do it. I then found that there was a "Save the Date" from an external email that I believe started this. The compromised staff admitted to clicking on the link.
The landing page said "Action1" at the top. Which was only implemented last year and I really would be the only one on my team to know this.
So what I've done so far:
Since compromised account sent a phishing email internally. My first priority was containing it, so I suspended the account. Revoked third parties and I am going to check that there is no forwarding on the account before allowing the user to sign back in.
Since the phishing link was already sitting in student inboxes and it was the weekend, I also temporarily suspended all student and staff accounts to prevent anyone from clicking it while I worked on cleanup. Admin was pushing for this.
This also created a mess for me, since I had to create a comprehensice list for a cvs to enable accounts and force password reset on next login, when we were ready. I didn't have a easy list of current students who need access to their accounts. So once things are "safe" it is going to get interesting.
That's when I hit the first problem: we're on Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals. No Security Investigation Tool, so no easy domain-wide email purge.
I tried using GAM to remove the message through the Gmail API, but kept running into issues. After getting stuck there, I worked with a tech (our state has techs who help us in situations like this), who provided a custom Apps Script tool using Domain-Wide Delegation to search mailboxes and delete the message.
At first it seemed to work well, but extremely slow. I pulled almost a 15hour day yesterday and I am still removing emails.
After digging through Google Vault, I discovered a few things.
The first was that many of the remaining accounts were suspended. The script could not identify messages in those mailboxes, so the delete operation wont run against suspended accounts. That wasn't really a security concern since those users couldn't log in anyway, but I had to enable to start purging the emails.
My principal is demanding "scorched earth" and I'm feel like I am expected to be a digital detective to track down every last email and the identity of the hacker itself.
* Am I missing anything critical from a security standpoint?
* How do I technically and professionally articulate to a non-technical, stressed admin that we have successfully mitigated the risk, and that chasing a "100% deletion" in deactivated accounts or tracking the attacker is a dead end?
* Should I be worried about protecting myself in this situation as a employee and also legally?
I am not security expert. I am a sole tech at a highschool managing all kinds of deadlines right now. This school has me spread too thin and now I ended up having almost no weekend and worked long hours to try to resolve this. In my unprofessional (since I am not a cyber security expert) opinion, I would think we can't expect to obliterate every malicouse email.
We sent out communication to staff, parents, and students on this. They know to delete and report. Almost no students has one of our devices
Force password reset at next login for bulk (All) users in our Google workspace environment? GAM?
After a security incident, this is one of the steps we are considering.
However, I am not aware of a bulk way to do this, even with csv.
I think creating a temp password would be a disaster and not safe. Since school just ended we don't have students in the biulding as well.
So the only way I've read so far is by using GAM? Which I have no used before. So I wouldn't want to mess it up.
Gemini gave me a script. Maybe this could workfunction forceResetOnSuspendedUsers() {// Replace with your actual student OU path (e.g., "/Students")const studentOU = "/Students";let pageToken;let loggedCount = 0;do {// 1. Fetch users in the specific OUconst response = AdminDirectory.Users.list({domain: 'yourdomain.com', // Replace with your domainorgUnitPath: studentOU,maxResults: 100,pageToken: pageToken});const users = response.users;if (users && users.length > 0) {for (let i = 0; i < users.length; i++) {const user = users[i];// 2. ONLY target accounts that are currently suspendedif (user.suspended === true) {// Use patch to cleanly flip the reset flag without altering their suspension state or passwordconst resource = {changePasswordAtNextLogin: true};try {AdminDirectory.Users.patch(resource, user.primaryEmail);Logger.log(\Prepped for reset: ${user.primaryEmail}`);`loggedCount++;} catch (err) {Logger.log(\Failed to update ${user.primaryEmail}: ${err.message}`);`}}}}pageToken = response.nextPageToken;} while (pageToken);Logger.log(\Finished. Total suspended student accounts prepped: ${loggedCount}`);`}
https://redd.it/1u138o5
@r_k12sysadmin
Google Drive is unavailable for Takeout
Hi All,
I am having reports that exiting students are seeing Google Drive greyed out when they attempt to use Google Takeout. As far as I can tell its enabled across the Student OUs and I don't think I set any restrictions or disabled the feature.
Any of you seeing weirdness like this?
https://redd.it/1u0g09p
@r_k12sysadmin
Using GAM to add Chromebooks to Group
Last year we ran into an issue where the newer Chromebooks with highDPI (1920x1200) screens fail the NWEA MAP device check due to the default resolution on those devices being scaled to a ridiculous 1200x750 resolution. The temporary solution then was to put the devices in an OU and configure the device screen setting to scale the display to 90%.
It looks like Google has now enabled configuring this setting within a device security group, which is much better than configuring an OU since our student OUs can have devices with several different device models.
My question is whether there is a GAM command that allows adding devices to a Google Group? I'm familiar with adding users to a group using GAM, but I've been scouring the documentation and do not see syntax for how to do so with devices. Anyone had success with doing this?
The workaround would be to first move all the applicable devices to a temp OU, and then add all devices in that OU to the Group, but then it will be rather painful to move those devices back to their original OU since they are currently in multiple locations.
https://redd.it/1ucr5yr
@r_k12sysadmin
Moving to Intune (School District): Best practice for policy design? Baseline + Deltas vs. Duplicate Monolithic Monoliths?
/r/Intune/comments/1u9k74g/moving_to_intune_school_district_best_practice/
https://redd.it/1u9k7er
@r_k12sysadmin
Firewall and Vlans
/r/Network/comments/1u9hoj0/firewall_and_vlans/
https://redd.it/1u9hosv
@r_k12sysadmin
PoE or Radio clock systems?
Howdy folks, can anyone make a recommendation between a radio or PoE clock system? I know we'd have to get more Meraki switches if we did PoE. Brand and model would be awesome too if you have specific recommendations. Thanks!
https://redd.it/1u8ntek
@r_k12sysadmin
Infinite Campus & Classlink
This post deals with student enrollment dates inside of IC. For students who are returning in the fall, do you End Date the students on the last day of the spring semester, then start date them on the first day of school? Or is July 1 the Start Date, and June 30 the End date?
My issue is that they become inactive in Classlink over the summer, new students who enroll don't get created until midnight the first day of school. It is just inconvenient
https://redd.it/1u8hs4n
@r_k12sysadmin
Migrating from HyperV to ProxMox...any gotchas/advice?
/r/Proxmox/comments/1u7qy3w/migrating_from_hyperv_to_proxmoxany_gotchasadvice/
https://redd.it/1u7qyir
@r_k12sysadmin
Headphone recommendations
Looking for something reasonably durable that doesn’t break the bank. Grades 5-8, mostly for use with Chromebooks.
https://redd.it/1u7bstg
@r_k12sysadmin
NWEA Map Growth PWA
We’re currently migrating our Chromebooks to the new MAP Growth PWA as the old kiosk app will no longer be supported. Note: as of this posting the migration steps listed in the support documentation contain a typo in the extension ID. NWEA is aware of the issue and working on publishing an updated article. Please contact NWEA support for the correct ID.
Once we got the PWA successfully configured and pushed to devices, I noticed it takes 2-3 minutes on the ‘Initializing extensions…’ step when launching the app before seeing the session login page. This is considerably slower than launching the old app.
Any else seeing slow loading? Any way to speed this up?
https://redd.it/1u6k4xl
@r_k12sysadmin
E-Rate is under scrutiny
Carr Opens E-Rate Program Review to Ensure it Meets Congress's Vision
CoSN Statement
https://k12techtalkpodcast.com/e/e%e2%80%91rate-under-scrutiny-fccs-proposed-rule-changes-explained/ and all major podcast platforms
In the episode, the guys discuss what services could be removed from E‑Rate eligibility, the FCC's questions about screen time, CIPA filtering expectations, and how the Commission is reexamining the program's original connectivity goals. They also dig into the changes to consultant definitions and fee structures, managed internal broadband services (MIBS), and potential unbundling of hardware vs. service costs, and more.
https://redd.it/1u3vwge
@r_k12sysadmin
Chromebooks WiFi certificates issues
We set up a new WiFi and switching the certificate enrollment from SCEP to the new certificate provisioning profile since Google is deprecating SCEP.
We are now running into issues with getting the certificate on the clients. Currently the profiles are in a OU that contains all the devices but no users and the profile is set to apply to devices only.
We are seeing sporadic issues where the device will get the certificate and WiFi profile and connect but when the next user logs in the device disconnects.
Google is recommending to move the certificate and WiFi profiles to the top OU and apply them to users and devices. Are there any issues in that?
https://redd.it/1u3bbuy
@r_k12sysadmin
Built a tool for managing in-house sub pools - sharing in case it's useful (disclosure: it's mine)
If your school runs its own substitute pool instead of using a third-party service, it might save your admin team some time and headaches.
I was the IT Director at an elementary school and watched the front office drown every time a teacher needed a day off - multiple texts went out, lots of calls were made, and all the information was scattered. I built FillMyClass to help alleviate that.
The flow
1. Teacher submits a time-off request (planned or last-minute).
2. The right subs at your school get notified - no outside subs.
3. Subs easily accept the job; the request carries everything they need, including sub plans.
4. Admin can see and manage every request from their dashboard.
Happy to answer any questions in the comments, and if anyone wants to see it in action, let me know.
Site's here if you'd rather just look around: fillmyclass.com
https://redd.it/1u2doun
@r_k12sysadmin
right now becuase school just ended. So if they clicked on the link, it is on their personal device. Also when they get access back, they will have to reset their password.
If it where up to me, I would start letting people back in. However, I'm instead feel tremendouse pressure from leadership to go scorched earth. I don't like to think that as a IT professional I am taking it too easy on a seriouse matter.
However, if something does need extreme action, it is hard to imagine myself being the one to handle all of this. In the same week I am being asked to gather every last G-chat and Email from and about a student for legal purposes. I can pull chat from the Vault, but an thorough investigation on my part? I am not forensics?
Any advice?
Its not that I don't want to work, or that I am trying to slack on security. It is that I feel that if these situations are that servere, I am not an entire IT department and I also don't have extensive security experience.
https://redd.it/1u28kas
@r_k12sysadmin
USB-A, USB-C, 3.5mm, or Bluetooth headsets, Share you experiences
This last year has been rough with the amount of damaged ports 3.5mm headphone jacks and USB-C charging ports.
One of our schools has asked us to provide a few models of headsets (headphones and mic) for students to purchase before school starts. We are considering USB-A as they appear to be slightly more reliable and easier to repair from that small amounts we've tried.
I'm looking for your real world experience. What would you recommend? Feel free to drop some links if you've found solid products.
Thanks in advance.
https://redd.it/1u28ne3
@r_k12sysadmin
Recommendations for hiring educational tech manager
I'm talking with someone hiring IT for religious preschool - 12th grade. But focusing on someone with experience in FACTS SIS and supporting on educational platforms. Someone with a heart for education and, supporting teachers and students. With knowledge of what is needed for educational environments.
They already have a team and MSP able to handle the tech nerdy stuff like networking, infrastructure, and break-fix.
However, even though the job listing emphasizes that, they keep getting applications that are developers and tech.
Any key words to flag down the school data management and support lovers out there?
https://redd.it/1u0hc4t
@r_k12sysadmin
iOS Device Cases
Summers finally rolling around and I've finally had some funding secured to replace our older fleet of iPads, does anyone have recommendations for iPad A16 Cases in the classroom? Every style I'm seeing online has the Apple Pencil holder and I'm sure the staff are gonna complain over it even though they have a brand new device!
https://redd.it/1u09yc3
@r_k12sysadmin