G Suite - Groups settings question - Governor is an Admin

[TwistedHelixis]

I have recently taken over a small primary school and the entire G Suite setup is very different from the way I have set things in the past, it's a lot more relaxed from a security perspective. They still have the G Suite admin (Governor) looking after it, so I cant just go in and make any changes.

 

I Just wanted to check what the implications of having 'view topics' enabled for the entire organisation are on something like the SLT Group or Governors group. Does this actually mean anyone using G Suite at the school could view the topics?

 

Thanks

Edited January 26, 2019 by elsiegee40

[Ditto]

They still have the G Suite admin (Governor) looking after it.

 

Screeching alarm bells! This is an absolute no-no. I recently left an environment where this was the case, albeit there were other appropriate admins. Others on this forum can explain better than me, but governor level interference at this level crosses the 'operational' boundary and from a GDPR perspective... well , I really wouldn't want to be involved if ever a complaint led to this being investigated.

 

I Just wanted to check what the implications of having 'view topics' enabled for the entire organisation are on something like the SLT Group or Governors group. Does this actually mean anyone using G Suite at the school could view the topics?

Yes, we had something simialr and was immediately addressed once discovered. Again, it's a serious failing and if someone (staff) discovered this, it could lead to some seriously uncomfortable situations. It's an area where I suspect a few schools are exposed without realising. The scenario is a school starts down the GSuite world and self implements, but the level of expertise at this point is low and some of GSuite defaults, IMHO, are a little too 'open' for a school environment.

[elsiegee40]

What on earth is a governor doing in an operational role?!!!

 

Governors should not be dealing with data identifiable with any individual. If they’re doing this they immediately lose the ability to be independent and strategic over any staff or student issue. Governors only work with identifiable information in very specific circumstances, eg employment dispute, pupil exclusion. Otherwise data is always anonymised.

 

I am an extremely experienced governor and MAT Trustee.

 

There is no way whatsoever that a governor, no matter how experienced in IT, should be doing this. It raises all sorts of questions about Data Protection and Governor independence when it comes to staff and student issues.

 

The Governor needs to be a governor... direct them to the School Governors UK Facebook group where the likes of me, @GrumbleDook and others can set them straight on where their duties lie.

 

There are staff paid to do this and governors, even those with decades of IT experience like me, should never be involved.

Edited January 25, 2019 by elsiegee40

[TwistedHelixis]

The school has also recently had a new head (we are both new to this school), so I sent her a message along with a very long list of other issues I have found so far, and she agrees that moving forward I should take over, but in a phased approach over the next few weeks.

 

My phased approach will be to go in immediately and fix ALL security issues I have found so far and remove the Governor from the admin roles :0)

Edited January 26, 2019 by TwistedHelixis

[jthompson]

As well as addressing the 'view topics' settings for each group, make sure that groups have the archive option (can't recall the exact wording) disabled. It is by default, but worth checking. With that option on, new members to a group would be able to see all prior topics, from before they were a member. That's a massive difference from how people expect an email group to work, so something to check.

[Ditto]

The school has also recently had a new head (we are both new to this school), so I sent her a message along with a very long list of other issues I have found so far, and she agrees that moving forward I should take over, but in a phased approach over the next few weeks.

My phased approach will be to go in immediately and fix ALL security issues I have found so far and remove the Governor from the admin roles :0)

Good to hear. Let us know how it goes and if you get any push back. It's going to be key to keep the head onside. The head of course is a governor and can help work with the board to put the school's house in order. If the governor with access is not the chair, it would be enormously helpful if you and the head get the chair onside too.

Edited January 27, 2019 by elsiegee40