Teachers installing illegal software on laptops

[bishopsgarthstockton]

I found porn on a teachers laptop. Pulled her aside and had a quiet word with her. turns out that she lets her son use it, he had installed some rubbish download program and got busy downloading the stuff. Told her that if i do find any thing of a sort e.g. porn, software, anything illegal, then i would take further action. Left it at that.

[Andie]

This is the link to the news article I mentioned, regarding the use of illegal software in schools:

 

http://www.ukauthority.com/articles/story1608.asp

 

It is about a year old, and I can't personally verify the source, but I have a copy filed in the front of my software licence file for use in difficult circumstances! Quote from this: "The government has given us the tools to support this initiative with the Copyright, etc. and Trade Marks (Offences and Enforcement) Act 2002 which increased the penalties for certain copyright offences from two years to ten years to underline the seriousness of copyright offences and strengthened search warrant provisions. The message is clear: if head teachers, schools governors and even LEAs allow the use of illegal software then it may be fast track to a criminal record."

 

Does the trick here anyway!

[acrobson]

We have begun carrying out spot checks on certain staff laptops, and find such things as limewire etc on them as well as the reset; one even had a vista on!

 

At present we just remove the machines after 2 warnings and ghost them via ghost cast, it takes 10 mins and hand them back, and keep doing it until they get the message. It is starting to work!

 

This comment is the opinion of myself and not my employer/team

[starscream]

I found limewire on a few laptops and lots of games where teacher's obviously loaned the laptop to their families! I clamp down it and uninstall anything like this. We are only just getting an AUP into effect now as our LEA is forcing us to make them. Personally though I think the LEA should make the AUP not the school as it can get quite in depth and how do you know you have covered every eventuality? I think it needs a security expert to write an AUP. I have tried my best with what resources I had but I still think there is holes in it. I should not be lying in bed thinking about things to put in the AUP, there should be a set of AUP rules set out from the LEA, if they want us to have them, then they should provide them!

 

What software do you guys use to restrict teacher laptops? Do you just prevent them installing software and changing settings?

 

Another issue we find is laptops being used on the net at home, when people use a school laptop at home on the net they bypass all our filtering and security in school, surely this is a massive threat to the network when it is reconnected. Personally I think that any laptop connected to the net outside home should be checked over before reconnection at school, but you can't possibly do this every day.

 

If I put in our AUP that people can't use their laptops at home, all hell will break lose, but I won't have any viruses or spyware to worry about in future.

[Skoggmeiger]

How about simply informing staff that under no circumstances can they install ANY software. If they need anything installing they must come via yourself.

 

If they fail to understand that, they shouldn't be teaching our children.

[CHR1S]

While a laptop is at their home I have no control over what happens to it, like it or not. We chose not to impose restrictions on what staff can and cant do with their laptop because it makes for a better working enviroment. They can install internet etc without any help from me and they feel trusted.

 

If and when illegal or innapropreate material is found its deleted and removed regardless of what it was. The laptop is then restricted down and there freedom is lost. In addition the staff member is reported to the head regarding the situation.

 

This has yet to cause any problems other than a few MP3s that were "dubious" in origin.

Whats the saying.. dont bite the hand that feeds you?

[FN-GM]

I would take her laptop wipe it clean reiamge it. If there is any illegal software on report it to the headteacher. GIve her laptop back and make a total lockdown on her account so it wouldn't let her so much

[Technomancer]

Three points:

1) All schools should have 2 AUPs - 1 for staff and 1 for pupils.

2) Creation of an AUP is a job for the school's SMT - it impinges on teaching and learning, because the pupils must be educated about "good" ICT use, and interacts with the school's behaviour policy etc. It is not a job for the IT staff (or ICT co-ordinator) alone.

3) For any AUP to work it must have buy-in from the school leadership otherwise how will a) you get staff/pupils to agree to it and b) enforce it? Hence point 2.

[Technomancer]

Oh one more point - Enforcement of AUP and determination of "consequences" is also an SMT issue. If you find inappropriate material on a teacher's laptop then there is potentially a child protection issue. It MUST be dealt with by SMT or you may well find yourself accused of complicity. It's harsh, but there it is.

 

Ultimately this is a policy issue and not a technical one.

[GrumbleDook]

I still say that a single AUP that encompasses staff, students and other users is better ... one of the most frustrating things about staff having different levels of access to the students is that when they want students to do something that they can do and it doesn't work it can ruin lessons and weeks of planning.

 

Treat them all the same ...

 

An AUP canot be created by SMT alone either ... it involves discussions across the board and don't be scared of involving Student Voice / Student Forum either.