Profile photo editing rights restored to GPS high schoolers Thursday evening

Unexpected weekend updates cause uproar among students

August 24, 2023

After the ability to change Google account profile pictures was stripped from Gretna Public Schools’ middle and high school students earlier this week, “high school students’ ability to change Google profile pics has been turned back on,” GPS director of technology, Greg Schwanke said this evening.

Over the weekend a change was made to the Google account profile pictures of every Gretna Public Schools middle and high school student. Every Google profile picture was changed to the students’ school photo instead of the picture they had selected themselves.

This change had many students expressing their concerns about it on social media. Some even sent emails to administration about the issue. Freshman, Alexander Runte was one of those students.

“I just wanted to because everyone was freaking out,” Runte said,

Regardless of whether students posted or emailed about their concerns, many students have an opinion about the profile pictures being their school photos.

“It’s kind of awkward when you’re working in a group and then you have your real face on there,” freshman Mallacia Mfinanga said. “Some things you don’t really like about it [the school picture] you can’t really change.”

In response to the emails from students regarding the unexpected change, Principal Chad Jepsen hosted a meeting on Aug. 21 with those who had reached out to him.

At the meeting, Jepsen explained that the change was made over the weekend by the GPS tech staff, and it was meant to solve an issue within the middle schools but ended up affecting the high schools as well. He also said that the GPS tech staff was working on resolving the issue as quickly as possible.

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