BYOD Policy

“BYOD” (Bring Your Own Device) Acceptable Use Policy

What is BYOD?

BYOD stands for “Bring Your Own Device.” BYOD is an initiative that will allow students who have personal technology devices to bring them to school to use them for educational purposes under the direction of a teacher or administrator. Students wishing to participate must follow the responsibilities stated in the Diocesan Internet Policy as well as the following guidelines.

Devices:

The following devices are compatible with the Snyder BYOD program: (1) laptops running Windows 10 or Mac OS X v10.12 or higher. (2) tablets including iPads, Microsoft Surface or other tablet running Windows 10, Samsung Galaxy Tab, and other android tablets running the android OS v 4 or higher. The smart watches and phones are NOT permitted.

Guidelines:

1.      The student takes full responsibility for his or her device and keeps it with himself or herself at all times. The school is not responsible for the security of the device. The school is not responsible if a device is lost or stolen while on campus.

2.     The student is responsible for the proper care of their personal device, including any costs of repair, replacement or any modifications needed to use the device at school. Charging cables and cases/covers will not be provided by the school to the student. The device must be capable of running off its battery during class time.

3.     The school reserves the right to inspect a student’s personal device.

4.     Violations of Bishop John Snyder policies involving a student’s personally owned device may result in the loss of use of the device in school and/or disciplinary action. Students must comply with teacher directions concerning the use of their device, including but not limited to requests to shut down and stow away the device during class time. The teacher will decide when and how devices will be used in the classroom.

5.     The student may not use the devices to record, transmit or post photos or video of a person or persons on campus. Nor can any images or video recorded at school be transmitted or posted at any time without the express permission of a teacher.

6.     The student will use the student wireless network. Use of 3G & 4G wireless connections or any other personal “hotspot” is not allowed. Attempting to subvert the school internet filter in any way is not allowed.

7.     The material accessed through the school’s Internet system must be for educational purposes. Use for entertainment purposes, such as, but not limited to, personal blogging, social media, on-line shopping, or gaming is not allowed. The Bishop Snyder internet system may not be used to access material that is obscene, that promotes or advocates illegal activities, that promotes the use of alcohol or tobacco, school cheating, or weapons, or that advocates participation in hate groups or other potentially dangerous groups. If inappropriate information is mistakenly accessed it must be reported to a teacher or school administrator.

8.    Students will not attempt to gain unauthorized access to any school systems or to go beyond the authorized access allowed by the school.

9.     Students are responsible for their individual account and must take all reasonable precautions to prevent others from being able to use it. Under no conditions should the student provide his or her password to another person. Students must immediately notify a teacher or the system administrator if they identify a possible security problem.

Penalties

Failure to abide by the policies set out herein may result in the following:

1.      Loss of the privilege to use a device on campus. Improper conduct may require the student to purchase hard copies of their textbook.

2.     A Level I, II, III, or IV offense which will be dealt with accordingly by the Dean’s office.

Questions and Answers:

●        How do students access the school network? Most devices will detect a wireless connection when you are near one. Most of the time devices will ask to join an available network when prompted; students can simply choose “Students” from the list. If the device does not display a prompt to choose a wireless network, students can manually go to the settings menu of the device to choose Students from the list displayed there.

●      What if I have a problem accessing the network or using my device? Students are ultimately responsible for troubleshooting their own device. It is recommended that students purchase a care package or other tech support option for their device if possible. The school will not be responsible for troubleshooting student devices. However, if a student is having an issue accessing the school network and requests technical assistance, an attempt will be made by the technology personnel of the school to help the student with access of the network.

●      What access to network resources do I have on the student network?

The student network is not the same as the network normally accessed from a school computer. Network folders will not be available, so students will need to save their work in another place, such as on their school provider Google drive. Like network folders, printers are networked differently in the school and will not be available from the Student network. Some printers are available via devices that have access to Google cloud print or Apple airprint.

●      What are some examples of inappropriate use?

The student bypasses the school Student network to use a cellular network. The student records a video without the permission of the teacher and posts it on YouTube. The student takes pictures during class of other students and sends them electronically to friends without teacher approval. The teacher has given permission to use the device for a project, but the student chooses to play a game instead.

●      What if a student doesn’t have his or her own personal technology device?
It is not mandatory for students to bring a device, even if they do own one.