What I found out: The eDiscovery laws were passed by the Supreme Court of the US in December 2006. This law states that all school districts need to have an archive of email and instant message (IM) conversations.  They left how long this information needs to be archived to the states. Minnesota requires email (with attachments) and IM conversations be kept for 3 years.To read about relevant information for eDiscovery laws go to: ediscoverylaw.com. To see a full PDF file on Minnesota’s laws go to Click Here.

Private Schools: You may be asking, we’re a private school do we still have to comply? Private schools were specifically addressed in the group discussion. It was stated that since private school teachers are still public officials the private school system would need to comply.

What to do? As a group there were a few ideas on what to do being discussed.
- The first option was to sit and wait. There were a few schools that are going to wait and see what happens to another school in an eDiscovery case. At this time there is little enforcement of the eDiscovery law. On top of that court cases involving the eDiscovery law are not wide spread.  They would then implement a solution based on a court ruling. This may not work for you if you’re the first eDiscovery case in Minnesota.
- The second option was to purchase an in-house message archiver. Message archivers can be purchased from most resellers (CDWG and Cadan Computers carry them). A Barracuda Archiver with 1 year of maintenance and updates will run you about $6,000. There are also software archivers that reside on your mail server. These options include the GFI mail archiver. The GFI mail archiver sells for about $2,000 and has a reoccurring annual maintenance fee.
- The final option was to use an online service to archive messages. Gaggle.net will archive messages off of many email systems (including Exchange server and gmail) for around $7 per email box. This covers the collection of new data and keeping it for 1 year. To keep emails for more than 1 year you will need to pay an extra $2 per box. As you can see Gaggle.net would be $7 for the 1st year, $9 for the 2nd, $11 for the 3rd year per email address. Rumor has it that gmail has an option to archive in it’s apps for education but I am not officially aware of anything.

An added bonus? This burden of having to archive emails may have an added bonus for it. You can look at it as having an added, real-time email backup system. If your email server crashes chances are good that you will have even your most recent emails saved in an archiver (with the exception of GFI’s archiver since it resides on the mail server). You can restore the lost email using your email archiver.

http://www.edtechmag.com/k12/issues/february-march-2008/the-e-discovery-question.html
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9024018&pageNumber=2

At Faithful Shepherd we currently have no official data retention polocies and only inbound emails are being logged. What I would like to know is this. 1. Is eDiscovery something Catholic Schools need to be compliant with? 2. If you have it, what kind of retention polocies do you have for your data?

As well, who has anything included in their AUP dealing with video? Since more and more items are being posted – not just pictures and names anymore! How about we bring a copy of our AUPs to the first Tech Coordinator meeting? Or post somewhere here?

Also, I need my memory refreshed. One of the reasons (I thought) we needed – or it was a good idea to have – an AUP is that some federal funds are available only if we have an acceptable use policy in place? As well, isn’t there something about CIPA that requires us to have one? I know, I should know the answers to these things. I just have one in place for our school because I knew we needed it (for lots of reasons.)

Many schools have formal reporting processes such as problem “tickets,” forms to fill out on paper or online, or other procedures. I have yet to find something that works. I haven’t worked out a system of my own, even after six years, because quite honestly, as technology changes, so do the problems and possible reporting methods.

I take requests any way someone wants to give them, although I do handle them a bit differently, depending on my current status of busy-ness and projects. Electronic methods are, of course, my favorite. Email is great because I can flag messages and set reminders – but along with those benefits comes the inevitable problem of old messages getting pushed further and further down the Inbox list. Windows Messenger is becoming a little more common for us as well. I trained my teachers in using IM for tech support in preparation for my maternity leave in February. I will not be having a sub for my position and have worked out a leave that allows teachers and administrators to still contact me with questions. I also have LogMeIn installed on my main workstation, which allows me to log in remotely to my machine, connect to the school network, and access any tools I would have when sitting at my desk (Windows Messenger, Remote Assistance, files, Remote Desktop). With Windows Messenger, I can address problems immediately and my users are able to see if I am available at a given time (online, away, offline) rather than waiting to see if I reply to an email.

Very rarely do I get written requests, although they do still pop up occasionally. These frequently get lost in the paper shuffle on my desk, and I have to be reminded later that they exist.

My least favorite method is verbal. Not that I dislike talking with people, but my mind ain’t what it used to be… I forget! So often someone will wait until they see me at lunch to report a problem, and there is little chance I will remember what they said once I return to my office. I ask them to email me instead. I realize how powerful the visual is – they see me and then they think of what it was they were going to ask – but the fact remains that while I may answer the question and file away the issue in my brain, the likelihood of remembering to actually act on it is slim.

What do you use in your school? Do you have suggestions that would work in various situations? Do you have any comments to share on what works and what doesn’t work for you? Please join the conversation!

And with all of these avenues available to them, some problems still don’t get reported to me.  For example:  We are at two campus locations.  I spend most of my time at the campus where the servers and majority of the computers are.  I have asked the teachers at the other campus many times that when something comes up in the computer lab there to record the error in the log I have provided AND email me about it so I know it’s there.  I don’t check that log regularly – it is not a reporting method, simply a log for my reference.  And yet I will hear later, sometimes weeks after the initial problem arose, that something needs to be fixed.  I try to explain that if they don’t email me (whether or not they’ve recorded anything in the log), I won’t know about it.  Unfortunately things have not changed in the four years I’ve been using the logs, so do I need to change something in my methods?  I want to find the best way to service my users.  They become frustrated when I don’t address issues quickly enough but will not follow the methods I’ve given them to get the best response.

What is the best reporting method for your school?  Why does it work for you?

We decided to stick with hosting our own email for now.  My biggest complaint has been the spam administration (Symantec Mail Security is not worth the media it is printed on), but we didn’t want to give up the functionality of shared calendars and administration.  We updated Microsoft Exchange Server, migrated the mailboxes, and are using an outside service for security and spam.  MX Logic now hosts our MX records and provides spam and virus filtering, sending only the “safe” items to our server.  That transition went fairly smoothly.

As I mentioned, the whole project took 49 hours.  25 hours (times 2 people) was for the install of the main server, moving data, Exchange migration, and setup.  Another 12 (times 2 people) was setting up workstations at one campus, and 10 more setting up the other campus myself today.  All in all, it could have been much worse, but I’m glad it’s over.  I am extremely grateful for those who helped: Rich Whitney, a parent who is a network consultant (I couldn’t have done any of this without his help), my husband who gave up his Saturday, and a couple of hours by my nephew too.  Without all of their help I would no doubt still be at work now instead of having finished a little while ago and ready for a good night’s sleep!  There is still more work to do, but the essentials are done and ready for everyone to return from spring break!

Issue number ONE: Our web server needs to be replaced.  My options are (1) purchase a new server to host our website – cost approximately $2000 once the software and antivirus and security are all installed, not to mention client access licenses, a steep learning curve and a lot of time, OR (2) use Google Apps for Your Domain or www.catholic-church.org or any number of free or very low-cost hosts to host our website for way less than $2000.  Google Apps would even let us publish a public school calendar.  Hmm, more time saved.

Issue number TWO: Our email server has been a hassle since we bought it.  I fought with it by myself to figure out how to migrate from Exchange Server 5.5 to Exchange 2000 Server without losing any messages or calendar items – no easy task for even the brightest of IT professionals.  Then add the antivirus hassles, and then spam, which probably takes up 5% of my time weekly and still doesn’t block what it should and blocks what it shouldn’t.  We can’t afford that fancy-dancy antispam hardware!  My options are (1) keep messing with it, try to figure out the whole DST issue and how to get calendars throughout our organization to sync up right and continue to pay subscription fees for clients, antivirus and antispam that is way overpriced for what they do, OR (2) use Google Apps for Your Domain to host our email – cost approximately, um, $0.  Now that’s a learning curve I’d be happy to travel.

There are certainly transition issues that need to be considered, which is why I haven’t already made the move.  Administration is hesitant (as am I) to make a big change in the middle of the school year.  Our subscriptions are paid through the school year, so what is in place IS already paid for.  But for the future?  I think we have to make the move.  With fewer than 50 email accounts, does it really make sense that it takes my time away from technology integration meetings and working with teachers to have our email a little more controlled?  Heck, I’m sure Google can find things as easily as I could, and at the very least it is using their time, not mine.

If you have a similar size organization and have made the switch or are considering it, or if you have other services that you use, please leave a comment and share with us.