Sign Here (but don't look too closely)!
Are you able to recognize the difference between phishing and legitimate emails or texts? After successfully NOT clicking on the continuous PayPal scams over the years and more recently the pay your toll text messages, I thought I was an expert on knowing what was legitimate. After taking the phishing quiz, I realized there was more to these scams than just an incorrect URL.
After completing a security check up on my Google account and deleting my account off a computer I used 187 days ago, I decided to see if this same Google email had been pwned. My email has been involved in 5 data breaches where my information was vulnerable and could have been exposed. I was not shocked by this information because my school district was involved in a network hack this year. My entire computer was "unrecoverable" because I left it at the school on the night of the breach. My personal email was logged onto my school computer. Our school guaranteed teachers and students that their personal data was not exposed in this network hack but did give us the opportunity to enroll in a free monitoring program where you are alerted if there are unauthorized changes or breaches in your data. The entire network had to be restored and reworked which took several months and continues to be an ongoing problem with new complications from this breach arising often. My computer filled with Taylor Swift stickers was a casualty in this hack... Karma is not a relaxing thought here.
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| Screenshot of Toll Scam from Author |
After the network breach this school year, there have been many changes already made to how we protect our network at school and I imagine the Acceptable Use Policy outlined in the Student/Parent Handbook will also face some major updates. The entire school had to update their passwords to log into their computers as well as their Skyward and Outlook passwords. In addition, Duo is used when logging into your computer and when trying to access Skyward. Password and computer updates occur more frequently now.
The Acceptable Use Policy outlined in the district 201 Student/Parent Handbook begins with places for the students and parents to sign and initial. It is a little strange that this signature page does not come at the end of the policy but rather at the beginning. It begins by indicating that the school issued devices are monitored by the school. Then, it transitions to having students and parents initial to agreeing to some website and social media guidelines which talks a little bit about posting online and your digital footprint, copy right laws, and to never give out personal information. The most interesting part of the Acceptable Use Policy was the Digital Citizenship section. It outlines that students must follow the following six conditions to be a good digital citizen: respect yourself, protect yourself, respect others, protect others, respect intellectual property, and protect intellectual property. The district 201 policy focuses on how to be a good digital citizen and how to use information correctly rather than what not to do. However, this policy seems very outdated. It does not have any information or guidance on Artificial Intelligence. As a teacher, it is concerning that students do not have to sign an agreement that prohibits or sets boundaries for Artificial Intelligence. This should absolutely be an update that is made to the policy next school year.
While searching for some kind of Artificial Intelligence guidance on the district website, I found information about the Student Online Personal Protection Act (SOPPA). Although this page is also outdated because it outlines that the district is working diligently to comply with the SOPPA when it goes into effect on July 1, 2021, it does provide information about the third party websites/vendors that the district uses, if they have access to student data, privacy policy links, and terms of service links. Lastly at the bottom of this page, there is a link to an introduction to SOPPA video for students and parents can learn more.
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| Screenshot of SOPPA list on Morton 201 website |
It seems like the district website along with their guidelines are in need of a major update. From structure so students and parents know what they are signing before they sign it, to a teacher focused section of the Acceptable Policy Use, and lastly a section dedicated to the temptation that students face with AI, the Acceptable Policy Use seems like more of a formality that the district follows rather than a useable document that all parties can reference.
That sounds like such a frustrating and stressful experience! It’s tough knowing your information has been exposed, even if it’s not surprising given the school hack. I can only imagine how inconvenient it must have been to lose your computer, especially one covered in Taylor Swift stickers. It’s good that the school offered monitoring services, but the fact that the network is still facing issues must be exhausting for everyone involved. Hopefully, things start to settle soon, and your data stays secure moving forward.
ReplyDeleteIt's a long and tedious process to change policies! In the meantime, it's sounds like your AUP has a great tone. I love that it includes social media!
ReplyDeleteYour district AUP sounds really good, I appreciated that it had a section about being a good digital citizen! The six rules are simple, and easy to follow, which I think is great for students and parents/caregivers. It sounds like the AUP is trying to be proactive by including social media as well. Having such a huge data breach must have been, and must still be, a huge pain. It's unfortunate that this is more common than we think it is. After reading your post, I went and looked at the k-12 incident map, and it was really eye opening to see just how common it is, and how widespread it is as well. I looked at my k-12 schools too, just to see, and one of them was involved in a breach recently as well. It is so important to understand why we need AUPs and how they can help us protect ourselves and each other.
ReplyDeleteI’m sorry your school got hacked. It happened to my mom and the monitoring program they offered didn’t stop her identity from being stolen. It is definitely interesting that your school puts a bunch of paperwork your parents need to sign in the front as if they have already given up on them actually reading the handbook. I’m glad your school has a digital citizenship section to acknowledge internet usage in a somewhat more positive light, but I agree that appears outdated. At the high school level, there should be something about the school’s stance on generative AI such as ChatGPT.
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