to want my head teacher to take this seriously?

[DrSeuss]

Yesterday, I became aware that kids at my school knew the name I use on FB (not my real name as I am a TA and we are advised to use a pseudonym). Yesterday evening, my profile picture was changed while I was out of the house with no internet access. I confirmed the time at which it was done and no way was it me. My son was also out at that time and there is no one else it could have been. Today, a Y9 plainly knew details of a conversation i had last night on my page on a fortunately unimportant thing. During a lesson today, some Y9s kept looking at me, then whispering and laughing.

I reported all this to the head. He says I could not have been hacked unless they had my password. Clearly not interested. Suggests I see the IT tech for advice on security. My settings are already at the max possible and I never have my phone at work. I have reported it to FB, changed my password, even though there was no way for the kids at school to have found it out, then changed my user name to something really obscure.

AIBU to want them to take this seriously? To at least speak to the kid who seemed to know about my private on line conversation? I copied my union rep into my email to the head. What are the legalities of this? Our school has form for students being treated differently depending on the seniority of the staff they did something t e.g., tell a lowly TA to fuck off, get an hour in isolation, tell a member of SLT to fuck off, get a two day exclusion. Doubt the head would be so laid back if it was his account.

Should I take it further? I would be happy for someone fairly senior to see the kids involved and just point out that, while we can't prove anything, they should be aware of the consequences of trying anything like that. I am pretty sure that someone more tech savvy than me does't need a password to get into my account.

All advice gratefully received, thanks.

If someone has been able to log in to your account it sounds s though it isn't as secure as you hoped. You'd have two factor verification, and also get an email alerting you to a log in from an unknown device.

As other posters have said, you can see a list of log ins to your account which include IP address, location and device. Have a look at that and if you see something you don't recognise then you have evidence for the head that someone has accessed your account.

It’s not got anything to do with the head unless/until you have proof that a pupil did something. At the moment all you really have is them sniggering about you.

It is practically impossible to hack a facebook account that’s been properly secured in the various settings, but it is very common to eg secure some of the account and think it is secure but leave the photos public etc.

Contact facebook perhaps? Or get someone who’s really good with fb settings to look at your account.

Change your profile picture to something that’s not recognisably you. I assume you already changed the password. Watch a tutorial on how to secure your account. Speak to the IT tech guy.

It’s possible that your account was set up properly but if so then the kids got your password from somewhere - perhaps watched you login. So the head is kind of right but more importantly it is not a school matter.

You need proof it was a child. Check the devices linked to your account.

They must have known your password because I'm sure Facebook doesn't let you repeatedly change your password and they'd have needed access to your email too. And presumably either your email address or phone number to be able to login.

I don't really know what the head can do. I feel like this is your responsibility, not theirs.

Change your password (I’m sure you’ve done this already) and get two stage log in set up. Then if you (or anyone else) logs in from a different device you have to enter an additional code that is sent by text to your phone.

Without evidence that the student has invaded your privacy there is nothing your HT can do I’m afraid.

Maybe your FB did it itself . Maybe you had set the profile photo on one of these temporary or so many days settings in error.

If you haven't got two-step authetication then you are not as secure as you think. Your head should be taking this seriously though.

I’d imagine he isn’t taking it seriously as it can’t be proved and he’d get into hot water about throwing accusations around. I’d be pissed off as a parent if my child was accused or spoken to about something with no proof.

Also you say details of a convo on your page? Unless it’s a private convo in messenger then anyone can see it?

How old is your dc?
Do they have an ipad with you facebook on?
If they have the phone you can probably unlock it reset passwords delete notifications from email etc.
Previously fb used to be reset by asking you about your friends etc which im sure led to people looking at your friends and especially if you didnt have many it was easy for it to be hacked.
Or if your dc has their account not tightly secure then if you are 'friends' with him others will see you.
Fb is not very secure a friends 7 yo set themselves up one morning using a mobile number. It was the parent's number and sent a verification to the parents phone. However many kids probably know their parent's password.
My dc knew it from 2yo.
So you may want to also change your email and mobile passwords.

2 separate issues currently.

The head treats SLT with more respect.

Something happened to your fb.

They may be interlinked but until you've deduced that then the head can do little. Check you have been hacked first. Could the boy knowing your conversation have had access to the recipient's phone?

(Just nosing into the techie bits, really) Even without 2FA, Facebook will email when a login happens on a new device.

Just to be clear "left my phone lying around unlocked" is not hacked. Not even close. It's still an offence for someone who isn't authorised to use that phone to (say) post on Facebook. But it certainly isn't hacked.

Why are using works computer to access your Facebook account? Kids are savvy and will find out anything. I am sorry but it is your own fault. Use your 4g on your phone to access your account and do it in your break. This is how staff get caught and eventually get sacked through miss use of IT. What do you want the IT department to do.
Children can be cruel and just learn from it. Keep your private life private.

Why are using works computer to access your Facebook account?

Maybe the school has a Whatsapp group staff "have" to join ?

Kids are savvy and will find out anything. I am sorry but it is your own fault.

Err no! Well done on your victim blaming!

The rude kids ate at fault and should be reprimanded.

How dare they be so arrogant and invasive!

Err no! Well done on your victim blaming!
That poster has overstepped by saying it's the OP's fault, but given none of us know what happened then the OP could have failed to take reasonable steps.

E.g. Child has somehow hacked their account, logged in, and got into their emails and managed to delete the evidence of them hacking her account - totally not expected and way out of order

E.g. OP signed herself in on a work device and didn't sign out - student would be absolutely out of order, but the OP would be responsible for her own negligence

Hi OP, please try contacting the Professionals Online Safety Helpline - : 0344 381 4772

www.saferinternet.org.uk/helpline/professionals-online-safety-helpline

I have never used a work computer for Facebook. Couldn't even if I wanted to as it's blocked.
My phone lives in my locker at work. Highly unlikely that they got hold of it.
My Head of Department who actually cares about her staff's well being has seen two children today. She believes that it was them based on the amount they knew about my page but couched tin terms of, "If you were ever even thinking about it, don't".
The Head has a long history of ignoring how support staff are treated by students. This is not just my opinion, our entire department feels like this.

This might seem a stupid question but does your son have a fb account and is he a fb friend? If so, can you see his list of friends?
Some people don’t hide their friends list, so whoever is on your list, you’ll be on their list.

Son has FB but attends a school where we live, not in the area where I work.

I probably am taking this badly as it follows on an incident where a Y11 made overtly sexual, really obscene remarks to me for no particular reason other than he felt he could, and another incident where I was hit in the head by a water bottle which was thrown from one side of the room to the other. On both occasions, the only way anything got done was when I threatened action from my union, otherwise nothing was going to happen. The one making inappropriate remarks got half a day's internal exclusion, the water bottle thrower was made to apologise to me. Had I not made a bit of a fuss, I would have been expected to just put up with it. Other colleagues in our department could tell very similar tales.

Also, should add that none of the students involved in any of the incidents I have mentioned a students with SEN who I support. When you support SEN kids, you learn to deal with certain behaviours and how to encourage kids to learn as best they can. Discipline of the overall class remains someone else's job. These are students working alongside my designated pupils who think all TAs are fair game. When you see SLT's attitude to us, it is clear why students think this. I suggested to the head that I was owed at least one of his beloved Restorative Conversations. Gotta love a bit of Pivotal, it comes with a free set of rose coloured glasses!

As others have said OP, there's two separate issues here:

1. Your Facebook Incident
2. Your school's inconsistent approach to behaviour

I'm not sure what all this HOD "who actually cares about staff wellbeing" is about. She's basically accused two children of hacking a member of staff's account with zero evidence and if I was their parent I'd be less than impressed to be honest.