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Catholic Schools - BYOD Guideline

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Section 1 - Purpose 

(1) This guideline outlines how the Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle (the Diocese) enables and supports school students in using their own digital devices for secure and reliable access to school Information and Communication Technology (ICT) networks and applications.

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Section 2 - Scope 

(2) This guideline applies to Technology Services, the Catholic Schools and all Diocesan systemic schools.

(3) This guideline applies to the use of “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD) computers and similar devices that can connect to Diocesan networks. It does not cover the use of mobile phones or other devices not connected to our networks.

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Section 3 - Responsibilities

ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES
Head of Technology Services
♦ Accountable for ensuring this guideline and associated documents and materials are implemented, maintained and reviewed in a timely manner.
♦ Provides resources and ensures Technology Services fulfils its responsibilities in relation to the technology and processes described in this guideline.
Head of Catholic Schools
♦ Ensures school principals are aware of this guideline.
♦ Promotes standardisation of practices across all schools in line with this guideline.
♦ Provides resources to support the processes described in this guideline.
Principals of Diocesan Schools
♦ Ensure their school complies with this guideline.
♦ Ensure their school’s staff, students and parents are aware of the standards, rules, terms and conditions described in this guideline and related documents and materials.
♦ Take advantage of the materials provided by Technology Services and the Catholic Schools to simplify processes and communication regarding BYOD at their school.
♦ Provide feedback on the effectiveness of practices described in this guideline and report any related problems.
Technology Services staff
♦ Maintain this guideline and associated documents and materials.
♦ Establish and support the technology to enable management of student devices.
♦ Provide support to school staff and students for BYOD in accordance with established Service Level Agreements.
♦ Monitor and proactively manage devices in accordance with BYOD Terms and Conditions.
School staff
♦ Assist students and parents to understand the standards, rules, terms and conditions described in this guideline and related documents and materials, including proactively distributing information and responding to enquiries.
♦ Obtain and keep records of acceptance of BYOD Terms and Conditions.
♦ Assist students to follow procedures related to BYOD and seek support as required.  
♦ Monitor compliance and take appropriate action in the event of a breach of school rules and/or BYOD Terms and Conditions.
Digital Innovation and Learning (DIAL) staff
♦ Collaborate with Technology Services to ensure this guideline and associated documents and materials are fit for purpose and appropriate for use in Diocesan schools.
♦ Advocate for standardisation of practices across all schools in line with this guideline.
♦ Assist schools to understand and apply this guideline and related documents and materials, including training of school staff as required.
♦ Collect feedback from schools on the effectiveness of practices described in this guideline and any related problems.
Students
♦ Indicate whether they consent to their devices being managed by the Diocese.
♦ Adhere to the rules for BYOD defined by the Diocese and their school.
Parents/Guardians
♦ Indicate acceptance of the terms and conditions for BYOD and provide consent for their child’s devices to be managed by the Diocese.
♦ Ensure their child’s devices comply with the minimum standard for BYOD applicable at their school.
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Section 4 - Guidelines

Goals

(4) In applying this guideline, all schools and agencies of the Diocese will prioritise the following goals:

  1. make it easy for students and parents to acquire a suitable device and use it at school.
  2. make it easy for schools to provide a consistent, secure, and high-quality BYOD experience. 
  3. make it easy for the Catholic Schools and Technology Services to support BYOD across all Diocesan schools.

Managed BYOD

(5) The term “Managed BYOD” refers to the use of a mobile device management service by the Diocese to control configuration settings and software on personal devices. This allows the Diocese to ensure that relevant device settings and software are secure, compatible and appropriate for use in our schools.

(6) Parents/Guardians may elect to participate in Managed BYOD, in which case the Diocese will partially manage their devices. Managed BYOD devices will receive support from Technology Services as described in the “Support” section below.

(7) Parents/Guardians may elect not to participate in Managed BYOD, in which case their devices are “unmanaged” and will receive minimal support from Technology Services. This increases the risk of problems which Technology Services cannot resolve, and consequently the student might not be able to use the device effectively at school.

(8) To participate in Managed BYOD, Parents/Guardians will “enrol” their devices as per instructions published by Technology Services. Schools will ensure Parents/Guardians have access to the instructions and assist them to understand and follow the process. If a student signs into a device running Windows Education (EDU) Edition using their school-issued account (either during initial setup or added later), the device will automatically be managed. This is a built-in feature of the Windows EDU platform and happens regardless of whether parent or guardian consent has been provided.

(9) Parents/Guardians may withdraw from Managed BYOD at any time by “unenrolling” their devices, in which case the Diocese will no longer manage or support those devices.

Support

(10) The support provided by the Diocese for managed and unmanaged devices is outlined in the table below. Responsibility for most actions lies with the device owner if the device is unmanaged, and with the Diocese (i.e. Technology Services) if the device is managed.

ACTION / SUPPORT RESPONSIBILITY
Managed Unmanaged
Acquisition of a suitable device and operating system Device owner Device owner
Loss or damage to devices and insurance cover
Hardware or operating system malfunctions and/or warranty claims
Home &/or mobile internet services and connectivity
Personal Data storage and backup
Any software not provided or supported by the Diocese/school
Install, setup, and configure Diocese/school provided applications The Diocese
Software updates for Diocese/school provided applications
Install and update anti-virus software
Standard device configurations e.g. networks, updates, encryption
Device security setup
Device monitoring for compliance and threat detection
Troubleshoot connection to School/Diocese networks The Diocese
Limited troubleshooting of Diocese/school provided applications

(11) More detailed definitions of support services are included in the School BYOD Terms and Conditions.

(12) Technology Services may provide additional support for BYOD devices where practical but cannot guarantee that such support will always be available. For example, if the school has an arrangement with a supplier, Technology Services might have limited interaction with that supplier.

(13) Technology Services support is restricted to normal school hours.

Terms and conditions

(14) A document defining School BYOD Terms and Conditions will be maintained and published by Technology Services in collaboration with the Catholic Schools.

(15) Schools shall obtain acknowledgement from each student and their parent/guardian that they accept the School BYOD Terms and Conditions prior to using a personal device at school. This includes acknowledgement that enrolling a device for Managed BYOD constitutes consent for the Diocese to manage the device.

Device specifications

(16) A School BYOD Minimum Specification will be maintained and published by Technology Services in collaboration with the Catholic Schools.

(17) Student devices must comply with the BYOD Minimum Specification in order to participate in Managed BYOD and be supported by Technology Services.

(18) Schools shall ensure that all students and parents/guardians receive a link to and/or a copy of the latest version of the BYOD Minimum Specification upon enrolment at the school and at least once per year while they remain enrolled.

School discretion

(19) Schools shall ensure their practices are consistent with this guideline and where necessary shall revise their local policies and procedures accordingly.  

(20) Schools may, at their own discretion, do the following:

  1. define a bespoke specification for devices to be used at their school, provided it meets or exceeds the BYOD Minimum Specification and is approved by Technology Services;
  2. in consultation with Technology Services and DIAL, enter into arrangements with suppliers to provide suitable devices either through the school or directly to students/parents/carers;
  3. make arrangements for the provision of devices to students who do not have a suitable device of their own;
  4. include information about BYOD in school documents such as brochures, handbooks, etc.;
  5. include references to BYOD in school policies, procedures, guidelines and standards provided they are consistent with this guideline;
  6. specify additional school-specific rules and expectations associated with BYOD provided they are consistent with this guideline;

(21) Schools may NOT do the following:

  1. alter or replace the School BYOD Terms and Conditions defined by Technology Services;
  2. recommend the use of devices which do not comply with the School BYOD Minimum Specification.
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Section 5 - Document Review

(22) This guideline will be reviewed when there is a legislative change, organisational change, delegations change, technology change or at least every 3 years to ensure it continues to be current and effective.