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Resources for Staff » Resources for Staff

Resources for Staff

Before you begin to look for a solution to your tech issue, have you RESTARTED your device?  Restarting devices takes care of 75% of the tech issues that we see in our IT Department.
 
After you have restarted, visit this General Tech Support document to see if the issue you are having is documented here.
 
You can also click on any of the buttons to the left to find a resource that may help you with one of our district-supported programs.
A key aspect of securing information in our district revolves around your PASSWORD.  Here are four things that can be done to help our overall district security:
  1. Never share your password.  
  2. Do not use the same password across different sites.  Your Mentor Schools' password should be unique.
  3. Use a passphrase to make your password even more secure.  Here is a simple explanation of passphrases.
  4. Update / Change your password to a passphrase.  Here are support documents on how to update your password or move to a passphrase:
    1. If you are updating from a district MacBook
    2. If you are updating from a district PC
    3. If you are updating from a Chromebook or personal device
(NOTE:  If you are a district employee that uses an iMac AND a MacBook, follow these directions to sync your new password after you have changed it using Step 1 above)

Communication to Staff

The following Acts and Amendment provide students and parents certain rights and protections.  It is important that all staff are familiar with this information.
 
FERPA - The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a U.S. federal law enacted in 1974 that protects the privacy of student education records. It gives parents the right to access their children's education records, seeks to have the records amended and exercise some control over disclosing personally identifiable information from the records. When a student turns 18 or attends a school beyond the high school level, these rights transfer to the student.
 
COPPA - The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) is a U.S. federal law enacted in 1998 designed to protect the privacy of children under 13 years old online. It requires websites and online services to obtain verifiable parental consent before collecting, using, or disclosing personal information from children. COPPA also mandates that privacy policies detail the information practices and that parents have the ability to review and delete their children's information.
 
CIPA - The Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) is a U.S. federal law enacted in 2000 that aims to protect minors from harmful online content. It requires schools and libraries receiving federal funding for internet access to implement internet safety policies, including technology protection measures that block or filter access to inappropriate material. Additionally, CIPA mandates the monitoring of minors' online activities and the education of students about appropriate online behavior and cyberbullying prevention.
 
PPRA - The Pupil Protection Rights Amendment (PPRA) is a U.S. federal law that grants parents certain rights regarding their children's participation in surveys, the collection of information for marketing purposes, and certain physical exams. Schools are required to obtain parental consent before students are required to participate in surveys funded by the U.S. Department of Education that reveal sensitive information, such as political beliefs, mental health, or sexual behavior. The PPRA also mandates that parents be informed and allowed to inspect any instructional material used in the educational curriculum.
 
  • What should I do if my MacBook is running slow or even locked up?  
    • Restarting you MacBook will often help with this issue.  If it is locked up, performing a hard restart (holding the power down for 10 seconds( will allow the MacBook to restart and will often correct any issue.
  • What should I do if I spill something on my MacBook?
    • Immediately turn off the MacBook and contact IT so that you can find the quickest time to bring the MacBook in.  Do NOT attempt to turn the MacBook back on, doing so will damage much more. Our IT department will take apart the MacBook to dry out and clean up any corrosion.
  • When I am using Chrome, the pages are loading very slow or not loading at all.  What should I do?
    • Clearing history in your browser will often times take care of this issue. Go to the upper right hand corner of the browser and click on the three dots.  Select Settings / Privacy and Security and  then Clear Browsing Data.  Once there leave all three boxes checked and select Clear Data.