Student Workers with Technology

[Janine Wilcox <JanineHome@AOL.COM>]

Dear fellow LM_NETTers:

I'm calling on you once again for advice on what I'm hoping is a dilemma you
may have had experience. The situation: Our school district is installing a
Novell network to connect our three school buildings (one at each level) plus
the administration building and the bus garage.  The company that is
installing the network has asked us on several occasions for the names of
high school students who have a fair bit of computer knowledge who may help
them on tasks including: putting together the new computers we ordered,
installing memory chips and CD-ROM drives, installing network cards, placing
computers in classrooms, installing software onto the server, etc... Most
recently they even wanted students to help them in our main wiring closets
plugging in network jacks and labeling them, as well as winding the miles of
cable around a maze of wire managers. So far we have cooperated in providing
this company with a few students for "cheap" labor to do these tasks. I can't
help but wonder though of the security risks we may be creating, and wonder
even if we're being exploited by the company that gets paid "by the job". A
side note: We've noticed already that a couple of these students are now
taking liberties in other areas that we never mentioned to them (ex. the new
phone system's cables in the wiring closet) and are even developing
questionable attitudes. Any similar tales or advice? I'd like to be able to
use other districts as back up for setting some safe ground rules. Thanks in
advance. The knowledge of the people on LM_NET has really helped me in the
past.



Janine Wilcox
School Media Specialist/District Technology Coordinator
Napoleon Comm. Schools
Napoleon, MI
49261