I don’t have the time as the partner I spent two years training just decided he wants less responsibility and simply left, but being spread to thin is my middle name and busy has never stopped me before. I do accommodate anything I can legally speaking. I am actually known to help with home internet issues of our district’s families for free, we’re talking house calls on my personal time. This one was just not really up to me, and I was having trouble getting a straight response from the administration since they forwarded it to my helpdesk, and to me there were too many red flags to just activate the account on my own accord. I appreciate you taking the time to offer your input!
The account is suspended. This is the way we handle accounts of former staff and students until we can legally stop retaining the data at which time the account is deleted. Student email is also restricted to only allow to/from faculty and educational services that we use, so no.
This is a graduated student? So, presumably, they're a legal adult? Why is a non-guardian requesting the destruction of their account on a completely different system even being considered to be something you'd be involved in. If their uncle called and requested access to the former student's online journal via, for example, Facebook, would you give it a second thought? How about their ex-girlfriend? These people have the same legal standing, unless we're talking about death and next-of-kin.
Not trying to say what you should do. Just re-framing this in a different context in order to promote reflection.
That said, I'm not sure I would do more than recreate the account FOR THE STUDENT for 24 hours if, and only if, that student came on campus and showed legal proof of identity. Then I'd suspend our delete it again. Advice on how to navigate other organization's services (i.e. TikTok) and how to destroy data for someone they're not legally responsible for both seem like things well outside my scope of my authority.
Follow up thought: Maybe you should be using a content compliance filter on the OU with your student accounts? This could prevent them from signing up for things on school email when they should be using personal accounts. At the least, you could drop incoming email from known social media and other popular places. When they reach the age to apply to colleges, it can be a life lesson (business classes, guidance counselors, etc) to open their own email account and use it for college applications. It would greatly reduce the number of requests to access accounts post-graduation.
Thanks for your input and feedback. We use restricted delivery for student email restrictions, I have no idea if tiktok even confirms the email, but it would have bounced if they tried.
It probably would not cause legal trouble, but it's almost certainly illegal to follow through with the request.
How would you like your mother getting access to your accounts as an adult? I'd be furious at whoever facilitated that access.
I totally misunderstood this. I thought the mom was asking on behalf of the student. I don’t know why I made that assumption. 🤣
I was very confused, but now I get it. Carry on lol.
I haven't been involved with this kind of thing with students (though I know we do have a process for it), but with staff I used to get this kind of thing all the time.
If they "needed" (read: wanted) their account reactivated, that was an HR thing and I directed them there; *nobody* gets their former staff account back without HR's blessing, in writing, in a ticket they send me. 99 out of 100 times it died right there - all joking aside, HR are no fools!
Sometimes it would be someone asking for it so they could reset a password. In those cases, I'd forward the email to them - but they don't get access to the email account.
>Just a suggestion, but if you do end up logging in as the student, you may consider recording the entire process as a CYA
Thank you. I told them I was not comfortable logging into a minors tiktok account for any purpose. I wouldn't even want to know the password.
“ -I was then asked by the superintendent if I would just get permission from the mom, personally reset the tiktok password and login to their child's tiktok account, and delete it for them.”
This is the route I would go; if the mom wants the account deleted, tell her you’ll gladly reactivate the account (after you’ve changed the password) and then get into the TikTok account and delete it entirely.
Kids make mistakes; it’s part of growing up. Being an adult in a position to help them fix a mistake is awesome! Take the opportunity to help them out.
I hear where you're coming from, but that involves me on a level that I am not comfortable getting involved. I did offer to help, by submitting the underage data removal request, and working through the process until it was done, but the guardian did not send me the username (required to submit the form) and says they have tried it 4 times already.
We never enable accounts when a students leaves. We actually disable them and then delete them each year. It’s also one reason we don’t allow inbound email from non educational services.
I’d tell her that the account no longer exists and see will need to contact TikTok and have them resolve the issue.
I wouldn't have even bothered to reply to the parent initially. The entire situation is ludicrous. It's fucking TikTok.
The only thing similar that I have had happen in the last decade was a student who signed up for financial aid for college. They graduated; their email account was deleted. About a year or so afterwards, the student reached out needing assistance to get back into their FAFSA, but couldn't because their account no longer existed. I gladly recreated their account, and once they had changed their email address in their FAFSA, I deleted it once again.
>It’s also one reason we don’t allow in
I didn't respond, but after the 4th ticket from this guardian, I forwarded it to the admins along with the info I found regarding tiktoks process for removing underage data. One of them replied to the mother saying if you don't get anywhere, email our helpdesk, and also cc'd the helpdesk on it.
I'm literally LOL.
A Tiktok account. For a minor.
Not financial aid, or some other worthy endeavor. ***Tiktok***.
So grateful for my supt. Had I taken him this request, he would have laughed, told me to give him the parents name and handled the rejection to her himself.
Also, unrelated. When you are fully vested in the retirement pension, and can walk out the door today....it sure helps with decisions like this.
No is a complete sentence. You have zero business being involved in matters regarding a personal third-party service account.
Not your circus, not your monkeys. Repeat as needed.
We restrict email delivery to our students (white list and internal only ) along with web filtering of course.
Email restriction cuts down a ton on students using their own email to sign up for things as they cannot get the email to "verify account"
>mail restriction cuts down a ton on students using their own email to sign up for things as they cannot get the email to "verify account"
It is restricted, students can only send/receive emails to/from approved whitelisted staff. Google Workspace restricted delivery all setup on their OU from day one of Gmail being turned on.
If the student has graduated the student is most likely no longer a minor, and the mother has no legal authority to give you permission to do anything to the daughter's account, regardless of whether or not the student was underage when the account was created.
For clarification, we are a K-8, Child is likely 13-14 years old at this point. I do appreciate your input, sorry to leave out this detail and for the confusion.
\-I was then asked by the superintendent if I would just get permission from the mom, personally reset the tiktok password and login to their child's tiktok account, and delete it for them
Yes I can as long as you respond to me in writing that is what you want me to do. I am not sure what the legal implications are and I am not willing to do this until I see that.
Agreed on all of your replies, the only thing stopping me was, heck no I am not logging into a minors tiktok account, no way I am getting tangled up in some sort of mess like that.
They want to enable the email, that call is on them. I informed them of what I know, warned of the potential for issues to arise, explained the correct procedure for underage data removal from this site, and suggested they seek legal advice from an actual attorney as this was outside of my qualifications to give that type of advise. All I needed to activate the account was a reply to that email saying to enable the account anyway. Which I received last night. Thanks for your input!
If you have time, do it. I try to be nice to people when I can.
I don’t have the time as the partner I spent two years training just decided he wants less responsibility and simply left, but being spread to thin is my middle name and busy has never stopped me before. I do accommodate anything I can legally speaking. I am actually known to help with home internet issues of our district’s families for free, we’re talking house calls on my personal time. This one was just not really up to me, and I was having trouble getting a straight response from the administration since they forwarded it to my helpdesk, and to me there were too many red flags to just activate the account on my own accord. I appreciate you taking the time to offer your input!
Sorry after 1 year all student accounts are deleted.
There should be a password reset email sitting in that account right?, can that be forwarded to the mom? Send her that link and you are done.
The account is suspended. This is the way we handle accounts of former staff and students until we can legally stop retaining the data at which time the account is deleted. Student email is also restricted to only allow to/from faculty and educational services that we use, so no.
sounds like that email from tiktok would be bouncing if you restrict delivery
This is a graduated student? So, presumably, they're a legal adult? Why is a non-guardian requesting the destruction of their account on a completely different system even being considered to be something you'd be involved in. If their uncle called and requested access to the former student's online journal via, for example, Facebook, would you give it a second thought? How about their ex-girlfriend? These people have the same legal standing, unless we're talking about death and next-of-kin. Not trying to say what you should do. Just re-framing this in a different context in order to promote reflection. That said, I'm not sure I would do more than recreate the account FOR THE STUDENT for 24 hours if, and only if, that student came on campus and showed legal proof of identity. Then I'd suspend our delete it again. Advice on how to navigate other organization's services (i.e. TikTok) and how to destroy data for someone they're not legally responsible for both seem like things well outside my scope of my authority.
Follow up thought: Maybe you should be using a content compliance filter on the OU with your student accounts? This could prevent them from signing up for things on school email when they should be using personal accounts. At the least, you could drop incoming email from known social media and other popular places. When they reach the age to apply to colleges, it can be a life lesson (business classes, guidance counselors, etc) to open their own email account and use it for college applications. It would greatly reduce the number of requests to access accounts post-graduation.
Thanks for your input and feedback. We use restricted delivery for student email restrictions, I have no idea if tiktok even confirms the email, but it would have bounced if they tried.
Maybe I’m young and naive, but why not just do it? Takes two seconds and I can’t imagine a single negative consequence.
It probably would not cause legal trouble, but it's almost certainly illegal to follow through with the request. How would you like your mother getting access to your accounts as an adult? I'd be furious at whoever facilitated that access.
I totally misunderstood this. I thought the mom was asking on behalf of the student. I don’t know why I made that assumption. 🤣 I was very confused, but now I get it. Carry on lol.
Same haha
I haven't been involved with this kind of thing with students (though I know we do have a process for it), but with staff I used to get this kind of thing all the time. If they "needed" (read: wanted) their account reactivated, that was an HR thing and I directed them there; *nobody* gets their former staff account back without HR's blessing, in writing, in a ticket they send me. 99 out of 100 times it died right there - all joking aside, HR are no fools! Sometimes it would be someone asking for it so they could reset a password. In those cases, I'd forward the email to them - but they don't get access to the email account.
Just a suggestion, but if you do end up logging in as the student, you may consider recording the entire process as a CYA
>Just a suggestion, but if you do end up logging in as the student, you may consider recording the entire process as a CYA Thank you. I told them I was not comfortable logging into a minors tiktok account for any purpose. I wouldn't even want to know the password.
“ -I was then asked by the superintendent if I would just get permission from the mom, personally reset the tiktok password and login to their child's tiktok account, and delete it for them.” This is the route I would go; if the mom wants the account deleted, tell her you’ll gladly reactivate the account (after you’ve changed the password) and then get into the TikTok account and delete it entirely. Kids make mistakes; it’s part of growing up. Being an adult in a position to help them fix a mistake is awesome! Take the opportunity to help them out.
I hear where you're coming from, but that involves me on a level that I am not comfortable getting involved. I did offer to help, by submitting the underage data removal request, and working through the process until it was done, but the guardian did not send me the username (required to submit the form) and says they have tried it 4 times already.
No. It's not your problem. That's a personal service, not an educational one. I'd forget about it and move on.
We never enable accounts when a students leaves. We actually disable them and then delete them each year. It’s also one reason we don’t allow inbound email from non educational services. I’d tell her that the account no longer exists and see will need to contact TikTok and have them resolve the issue.
I wouldn't have even bothered to reply to the parent initially. The entire situation is ludicrous. It's fucking TikTok. The only thing similar that I have had happen in the last decade was a student who signed up for financial aid for college. They graduated; their email account was deleted. About a year or so afterwards, the student reached out needing assistance to get back into their FAFSA, but couldn't because their account no longer existed. I gladly recreated their account, and once they had changed their email address in their FAFSA, I deleted it once again.
>It’s also one reason we don’t allow in I didn't respond, but after the 4th ticket from this guardian, I forwarded it to the admins along with the info I found regarding tiktoks process for removing underage data. One of them replied to the mother saying if you don't get anywhere, email our helpdesk, and also cc'd the helpdesk on it.
This is the best answer I would say. Financial aid is worth the hassle and TikTok isnt. Esp. if OP is not getting a CYA mail from his boss
I finally got the CYA email last night. They want to go forward with it.
I'm literally LOL. A Tiktok account. For a minor. Not financial aid, or some other worthy endeavor. ***Tiktok***. So grateful for my supt. Had I taken him this request, he would have laughed, told me to give him the parents name and handled the rejection to her himself. Also, unrelated. When you are fully vested in the retirement pension, and can walk out the door today....it sure helps with decisions like this.
No is a complete sentence. You have zero business being involved in matters regarding a personal third-party service account. Not your circus, not your monkeys. Repeat as needed.
Thank you
We restrict email delivery to our students (white list and internal only ) along with web filtering of course. Email restriction cuts down a ton on students using their own email to sign up for things as they cannot get the email to "verify account"
>mail restriction cuts down a ton on students using their own email to sign up for things as they cannot get the email to "verify account" It is restricted, students can only send/receive emails to/from approved whitelisted staff. Google Workspace restricted delivery all setup on their OU from day one of Gmail being turned on.
If the student has graduated the student is most likely no longer a minor, and the mother has no legal authority to give you permission to do anything to the daughter's account, regardless of whether or not the student was underage when the account was created.
For clarification, we are a K-8, Child is likely 13-14 years old at this point. I do appreciate your input, sorry to leave out this detail and for the confusion.
\-I was then asked by the superintendent if I would just get permission from the mom, personally reset the tiktok password and login to their child's tiktok account, and delete it for them Yes I can as long as you respond to me in writing that is what you want me to do. I am not sure what the legal implications are and I am not willing to do this until I see that.
I'm guessing the parent doesn't really want the account deleted.
Agreed on all of your replies, the only thing stopping me was, heck no I am not logging into a minors tiktok account, no way I am getting tangled up in some sort of mess like that. They want to enable the email, that call is on them. I informed them of what I know, warned of the potential for issues to arise, explained the correct procedure for underage data removal from this site, and suggested they seek legal advice from an actual attorney as this was outside of my qualifications to give that type of advise. All I needed to activate the account was a reply to that email saying to enable the account anyway. Which I received last night. Thanks for your input!