iPad Use Agreement

Student/Parent One-to-One iPad Agreement

Students enrolled in selected grades will be provided and required to have an iPad to use in their classes. The school, through the support of the Mayfair auction, has purchased the iPads from Apple for student use during the school year and are hereafter referred to as a “school owned device” (SOD).  If a student in grades 6-12 already has an iPad, hereafter referred to as a “personally owned device” (POD), they may use it instead of the school issued iPad if they submit it to the school for device management. To minimize support and management issues, brands other than an Apple iPad (version 2 or higher, version 3 or higher recommended) will not be supported or allowed in the classroom. SODs must be returned when a student transfers or graduates from the school. A student’s right of possession and use of any device is limited to and conditioned upon full and complete compliance with this Agreement, the school’s Acceptable Use Policy, and any other applicable guidelines as outlined in the student handbook, any addendums or other school policies, procedures or guidelines.

Supervision

All iPads, to include PODs, must be placed into “supervision” in order to allow the teachers to manage device use in their classroom and for the school to push content to the individual student iPads.  The use management features will only be used while the device is used in connection with a school related activity.  When devices leave such activities there will be no direct teacher management, however content limitations may remain on the devices.  The supervisory mode should not affect any normal use of the iPad.  If at any time the school loses supervision status on an iPad (e.g. the iPad was connected to a computer and either restored to factory settings or restored to a non-supervised state), that iPad may not be used at school functions until it is placed into supervision again.  Although enabling supervision will erase the iPad, all content can be re-downloaded and installed after the process has been completed.  For apps that store information on an iPad (e.g. Pages, Notability, etc.) it is highly recommended that the app be configured to backup documents to iCloud or other online file storage (e.g. Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.) or those files will be lost.

Observation and Inspection of iPads

Students must allow school personnel to observe use of their device to confirm compliance with school policies, procedures, and guidelines.  In the classroom, the teacher or other designated adult determine the appropriate and inappropriate use of technology.  Even if the school’s Acceptable Use Policy or this document authorizes use of an iPad, their use is not authorized in the classroom without explicit teacher approval.  Teachers may declare technology-free times.  It is inappropriate to attempt to covertly or overtly use technology in any way that is inappropriate, not approved by the teacher, or runs counter to the educational purpose of the class.  Intra- or inter-class communication by any means (e.g. audio, video, e-mail, chat) if allowed, must be explicitly authorized by the teacher for every set period of time (e.g. one class period).

All devices must be surrendered immediately if requested by a teacher or school administrator.  If it is deemed necessary, the school administration may inspect the iPad and all stored information at any time with or without notice.  The student has no expectation of privacy as to anything stored on, sent by, or received through an iPad used as a part of this agreement.  Families that do not want their POD to be subject to search or seizure should not let their student bring or use the device at school.

Customization

The student may change preference settings, such as the wallpaper and screen brightness, within the parameters of the school’s Acceptable Use Policy.  The student may not disable Location services or Find My iPad settings on SODs.  Hacking or jail-breaking an iPad is not allowed as it may interfere with the school’s ability to manage the device in the classroom.  If it is determined that a student has hacked or jail-broken an iPad, or allowed the iPad to be hacked or jail-broken, or if the school determines that the iPad is being used inappropriately in any manner, the student will be subject to disciplinary action and possible financial penalties associated with harm to SODs.

Damage or Loss

All iPads are covered by the AppleCare warranty, which covers manufacturer’s defects.  The AppleCare warranty does not cover loss, theft, negligence (such as carelessly dropping the iPad), or abuse (such as throwing the iPad).  In the event a SOD must be replaced or repaired due to non-warranty related damage, the student’s family will be charged for that damage.  The student should report any problems with or damage to a SOD to a teacher, principal or school Information Services personnel.  If a SOD is damaged and you would like to handle the repairs directly, they should only be taken to any Billings iDoctor location (currently West End near Shopko or Heights near Airport & Main).  This maintains warranty coverage and minimizes your exposure to additional cost.  If a repair shop other than iDoctor voids the warranty, damages a device or cannot complete a repair, you may be charged for a new iPad.  We have arranged for a discount with iDoctor.  Tell them you have a school owned device from Billings Catholic Schools for the discount.  They also warranty their work, use OEM parts and often will not charge if they cannot fix it.

General Care of the iPad

Students must comply with the following general care guidelines for SODs:

  1. Never attempt to repair or reconfigure the iPad. Under no circumstances are you to attempt to open or tamper with the internal components of the iPad.
  2. Do not remove any serial numbers or identification placed on iPads.
  3. Other guidelines:
    • Do not write, draw, paint, place stickers/labels, or otherwise deface your iPad.
    • Never put weight on the iPad.
    • Secure the iPad in the provided case, which may be replaced with a different case if desired. Cases reduce the possibility of damage but the amount of reduction depends on the style of the case.  No case can eliminate the chance of damage due to negligence.
    • Liquid, food, and other debris can damage the iPad. Avoid eating or drinking while using the iPad.  Do not keep food or food wrappers in your book bag when the iPad is in the book bag.  Do not place the iPad in a moist environment (bathroom, swimming pool, hot tub, sauna, etc.).
    • Take care when inserting cords and cables to avoid damage to the ports on the iPad. First plug your power supply into the electrical outlet, and then plug the power cord into the iPad.
    • Although dimming the LCD brightness of your screen will extend the battery run time, students should still charge their iPads each night.
    • Clean the screen with a soft, dry, anti-static cloth or with a screen cleaner designed for LCD-type screens only. Do not use paper towels as they may scratch the screen.  Students may install a screen protector if they desire.
    • Do not expose the iPad to extreme temperatures, direct sunlight, or ultraviolet light for extended periods of time (e.g. left in a car on a sunny day or in the winter). Extreme heat or cold may cause damage to the iPad.  If your iPad has been in a very cold environment for a long period, let it warm up naturally to room temperature before using it as heating it quickly (through use or charging) can cause condensation to form on the internal parts which may permanently damage the iPad.

General Use of the iPad

Students must comply with the following general use guidelines for their iPads:

  1. Bring the fully charged iPad to school each day. Students will not be given the use of a loaner iPad if they leave theirs at home, nor will they be guaranteed the ability to charge the iPad during class.  An otherwise functional iPad with a dead battery is not an excuse for non-participation, late or missing work.
  2. Keep the iPad with you or within your sight at all times unless it is locked in your locker. Do not give your locker combination to any other students.
  3. Other than parents or guardians, do not let others use the iPad.
  4. The “name” of the iPad (found in Settings -> General -> About) must be the name of the student (e.g. Samuel Student’s iPad). Teachers will know if an iPad has its name changed and will require it be set to the student’s name.
  5. Report problems, damage, or theft immediately to your teacher, principal or school Information Services personnel.
  6. Any apps or data stored on the iPad must be consistent with school policy and the Mission and spirit of the school.
  7. Do not provide your personal information to anyone over the Internet without authorization from a parent, guardian, or school employee.
  8. Keep your iPad password, Apple ID password, Google Drive password and school computer account password protected and confidential.
  9. Only use the provided or a genuine Apple charger. Lesser quality chargers can damage the charging circuitry of the device

Financial Responsibility

In general the school will purchase and push content to the student at no direct cost to the student’s family.  On a limited case-by-case basis there may be app-related expenditures required of the student’s family.  If the student’s family purchases and installs an app, they will retain ownership of that app.  Billings Catholic Schools is not responsible for any charges to an Apple ID account on an iPad that has been issued to a student.  There is no requirement at this time for parents to associate a credit card with an Apple ID.

Parent Information

SODs are for student use only. It is not meant to be a family computer or to be used by siblings in any way that would compromise access by the student.  Parents are responsible for supervising student Internet use while at home; the filtering services we implement on the school’s network do not transfer to home use.  Parents should monitor the use of the iPad at home to ensure that its primary function is academic and that students are completing assigned school work rather than playing games, chatting, etc..  Use of Internet resources – including online curriculum content purchased by the school – will be an integral part of the learning activities in your child’s classes.