Author: npage

Many people are aware that computer hardware gets old and becomes unusable in a secure environment. What is not so well known is that computer software also gets out of date, resulting in vulnerability to malicious attacks. These vulnerabilities affect not only the software, but also all data on the machine, and even the network it is connected to. Through monitoring equipment in Information Systems, we see thousands of these attacks occurring on a daily basis.

To keep our district's data and systems secure, Information Systems has performed a district-wide audit for installations of one of the most frequently attacked pieces of software - Microsoft Office. All schools have versions of this software that are out of date and vulnerable to attack. Some schools have only a few licenses that are out-of-date, while other schools have hundreds.

We are informing you of this dilemma now so that you can plan to allocate an appropriate amount of your technology funds to replace older, unsupported licenses of Microsoft Office, and keep your data and machines secure. To find out how many licenses you will need to replace, contact your building computer technician. Microsoft Office for Education licenses currently cost $46.05 each. Please purchase the number of licenses necessary, then let your tech know that they have been purchased. The tech will thereafter update the associated software. To ensure licensing compliance, techs have been instructed to upgrade licenses only after being shown proof of purchase.

Alternatively, if you would prefer to save money, there are free alternatives to Microsoft Office, most notably Google Docs. As with many free offerings, there are advantages and limitations to the use of Google Docs. Nevertheless, it is an alternative that many educators use, and it is free of charge. It is important to realize that even if you choose to use Google Docs, older unsupported versions of Microsoft Office cannot remain installed on machines. In this situation, techs will remove those outdated licenses, and users will be free to use Google docs without purchase or further installation.

Thank you for your concern and cooperation in maintaining the security of our collective computing environment, and the very sensitive data it contains.

Mark Sowa, Instructional Technology Manager

The Emergency Broadband Benefit is an FCC program to help households struggling to pay for internet service during the pandemic. This new benefit will connect eligible households to jobs, critical healthcare services, and virtual classrooms.

The Emergency Broadband Benefit will provide a discount of up to $50 per month towards broadband service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on Tribal lands. Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers if they contribute $10-$50 toward the purchase price.

The Emergency Broadband Benefit is limited to one monthly service discount and one device discount per household.
Who Is Eligible for the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program?
A household is eligible if one member of the household meets at least one of the criteria below:

• Qualifies for the Lifeline program;
• Receives benefits under the free and reduced-price school lunch program or the school breakfast program, including through the USDA Community Eligibility Provision, or did so in the 2019-2020 school year;
• Received a Federal Pell Grant during the current award year;
• Experienced a substantial loss of income since February 29, 2020 and the household had a total income in 2020 below $99,000 for single filers and $198,000 for joint filers; or
• Meets the eligibility criteria for a participating providers' existing low-income or COVID-19 program.

When Can Families Sign Up for the Benefit?
The program has been authorized by the FCC, but the start date has not yet been established. The FCC is working to make the benefit available as quickly as possible.

Check out the Broadband Benefit Consumer FAQ for more information about the benefit and please continue to check this page for program updates.

Schools are encouraged to DROP, COVER and HOLD during the statewide earthquake drill on Thursday, April 15, 2021, at 10:15 a.m., or on another date that may be more convenient.

Over 670,000 citizens, businesses and schools have already registered to participate in the drill on 4/15/21 (registration not required): https://www.shakeout.org/utah/register/

Considerations:

• PRACTICE COVID PRECAUTIONS during all drills
• Conduct an evacuation afterwards (two drills in one day)
• Review emergency “GO KITS” contents/other related items
• Review the Incident Command Manual - Earthquake Action Plan, on Google Drive:
  • Shared with Me > ASB-Website Docs and Forms > Safety/Security > Incident Command
  • Link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B89aHNMOWE4Mc29yQ25xenhFZWM
• Report Emergency Drill(s), link to form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSffLGdY-9KeYvN7DJq4RuxEbh429DzPfinaNvte8QrEU9ddeg/viewform
• Bookmark the manual and report form

More Information:

• The Great Utah Shakeout Website, link: https://www.shakeout.org/utah/
• Contact the District Emergency Operations Manager Lance Everill, 801-567-8623, lance.everill@jordandistrict.org

1. 2019-2020 WIDA scores will be used for ESL students who did not take this year's test. Please assure parents they do not need to opt out of the program if students were not tested. Thank you for your efforts with WIDA testing this year.
2. Please complete the monitoring forms for 4th Quarter for levels 5 and 6.
3. We are having a parent open house for our "Giraffe Club-Culture talk". We have had parents interested to see what we talk about to students in grades K-6. We are providing time for them to log in and learn. Please share the flyer to the event. Thank you!

Giraffe Club Parent Night Flyer

In continuation of our 19 year tradition of celebrating prevention and resilience in Utah schools, the state-wide program, Resilient Utah and KUTV Channel 2 are proud to host 2021 Resilient Utah Month in May!  Our month-long celebration will feature the 2020-21 Resilient Utah Education Shield Awards, which will be presented to select schools and individuals that have set extraordinary examples in building resilience and spreading hope within their schools, homes and communities.

NOMINATE NOW! 

Here’s an opportunity to recognize efforts in your schools that strengthen and promote resilience in these challenging times!  Each nomination should take less than 10 minutes to complete.  Feel free to nominate in any of the 8 categories.  Nominations are due Friday, April 23, 2021.  Please pass this on to your staff, volunteers or networks. 

Awards will be announced on KUTV Channel 2, in addition to being publicized through social media and education networks. Award recipients will receive an honorary plaque, in addition to a special gift package.

To nominate, click on the following link:
https://www.resilientutah.org/nominate/

Thank you for all you do to strengthen the lives of Utah families!

The Resilient Utah Team
www.ResilientUtah.org

DATE:    
April 8, 2021

TO:   
Principals
Elementary Administrative Assistants
Secondary Registrars

FROM: 
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Administrators of Schools
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Caleb Olson, Consultant, Planning & Enrollment

SUBJECT: 
Updated Process for Non-Transferred Student Records

This memo supersedes previous memos on the handling of non-transferred student files (commonly known as “dead files”).

The approved retention scheduled for non-transferred student files (GRS-1497) does not require these files to be advanced to the high school and transferred to the State Archives for permanent retention. Rather, it requires the files to be retained for three years after separation prior to their destruction.

To comply with this retention schedule, please follow the updated procedure below to process non-transferred student files:

Grades K-8:

• At the end of each year, separate non-transferred files from active files. Mark the files with a destruction date three years after the student left the school.
• Non-transferred files should not be advanced with their age cohort. Retain the files at the school of origin.
• On a regular basis, check non-transferred files against the UTrex database. If the student is active at another Utah location, contact their new school to ask the school to request the file.
• When the three-year retention has elapsed, check files in UTrex one final time before destroying. Follow the procedures on the “Records Maintenance and Retention” document (April 2021 revision) from Planning & Enrollment to appropriately destroy the files.

Grades 9-12:

• If the student did not earn credit, follow the process listed in the “Grades K-8” section of this memo.
• If credit WAS earned, the transcript becomes the official record and is retained with other transcripts for the age cohort. The cumulative folder materials are retained with the age cohort and destroyed as outlined in the “Records Maintenance and Retention” document (April 2021 revision) from Planning & Enrollment.
• On a regular basis, check non-transferred files against the UTrex database. If the student is active at another Utah location, contact their new school to ask the school to request the file.

Updated Process for Non-Transferred Student Records

DATE:   
April 8, 2021

TO:    
Principals
Assistant Principals
Administrative Assistants
Secondary Attendance Secretaries
Secondary Registrars

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Administrators of Schools
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Caleb Olson, Consultant, Planning & Enrollment

SUBJECT:   
Processing Record Requests and Subpoenas

There has been an increase in recent months in the number of parent/guardian requests for records and in subpoenas for student records. Please follow the guidelines below when responding to these types of record requests (subpoenas regarding employees should be directed to Human Resources).

Per District Policy AS61 – Student Records and Transcripts, the principal is the custodian of student records at the school level. This means that record requests and subpoenas for student records directed to the school should be filled at the school. Planning & Enrollment will assist schools when subpoenas involve records housed at multiple locations.

Record requests must be from a parent, legal guardian, or the student. Requests must be made in writing. When the identity of the requestor cannot be confirmed locally, the request must be notarized. Once received, the school has 45 days to respond to the request. If the requestor is a non-custodial parent, a courtesy call to the custodial parent should be made. Additional guidelines can be found at http://planning.jordandistrict.org by searching for “Request to Access/Amend Records”.

An official subpoena will be sent by an attorney or court official and does not necessarily require a judge’s seal. Subpoenas must be answered within 10 business days of receipt. The individual whose records have been subpoenaed must be notified by the school and given a window of time in which to pursue (if desired) court action to prevent the disclosure of records. This notification should be logged and kept with a copy of the subpoena and the records requested.

When complying with subpoenas or record requests, only records that currently exist may be accessed. Records and reports may need to be generated and printed in Skyward but schools should never create new sources of data in response to a request. Schools should only provide the records requested and should not volunteer or create additional information.

Records requests and subpoenas should be answered in the manner they were received or in the manner requested. When sending files via email, records must be transmitted via MoveIt. Records sent via the mail must be sent as certified mail with a delivery receipt.

Planning & Enrollment staff are also always available to consult with school staff on filling record requests or subpoenas and can consult on questions schools may face when working with these types of documents.

Processing Record Requests and Subpoenas

DATE:  
April 8, 2021

TO: 
Principals
Assistant Principals
Administrative Assistants
Secondary Attendance Secretaries
Secondary Registrars

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Administrators of Schools
Travis Hamblin, Planning & Student Services
Caleb Olson, Consultant, Planning and Enrollment

SUBJECT:
New Records Retention Schedule

A revision to the records retention schedule has been prepared and is now available from Planning & Enrollment. The new document includes information on record maintenance and state requirements for record destruction. Changes have been made to the retention requirements of certain types of documents to align with current retention requirements from the State Archive.

The new document is available at the Planning & Enrollment website (http://planning.jordandistrict.org) on the “School Resources” page of the “Resources/Forms” tab. It can also be accessed by searching “Records Retention” on the Planning & Enrollment website.

If school staff cannot find a specific record or report on the new retention schedule, they may contact Planning & Enrollment for direction and to have the report added to the schedule. As the list of reports may change, school staff should refer to the report electronically rather than printing a hard copy.

New Records Retention Schedule