r/education • u/SteaIthed • 2d ago
School Culture & Policy Is my school allowed to install program-viewing and website blockers on my personal laptop?
This is just a question i have and i would like answers since my school wont give me any. Im currently in the process of purchasing a personal laptop. I asked the school if it was okay for me to handle everything with my laptop. They said this was okay. Now, because its my personal laptop they said it wont be covered under the schools warranty. Which makes sense. But know here comes the confusing part, for me at least. Is my school allowed to put software on my computer without my consent that restricts what i am able to do on it? If i dont use the schools provided devices, or their own network. Do they have the right to make changes to MY personal device?
Reason why im asking is because i plan to use this device after i finish school, and i dont want spyware and restrictions on my own laptop. Especially when trying to install programs ect.
Now i understand this is probably entirely dependent on the schools policy. But i would like a general answer, What most schools do at least.
For your information my school is located in Australia, Queensland, Sunshine Coast
tl;dr Is my school allow to install programs on my personal laptop without my consent?
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u/schmidit 2d ago
If you want to use a device on their network in their building then they can ask you to install anything they want.
You’re free to say no and they’re free to not let you use it in their building and on their network.
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u/SteaIthed 2d ago
I dont have to worry about their networks restrictions as i can simply use my mobile data. So i dont think the network TOS will apply to me.
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u/DClawsareweirdasf 2d ago
In that case they don’t have to let you use a personal computer at all.
It’s not worth the headache at all. There’s nothing you need to do on your personal computer, on your mobile data network, that you don’t want your school to know about, that is worth this headache.
Get a school computer, use it appropriately, get a good education, and go on with your life. There’s no good reason for all of this.
For what it’s worth, I’m a teacher. I have a personal computer and I use it for personal things. I have a school computer and I use it for school things.
My personal computer is way better than my school computer. But my school computer is good enough to handle what I need it to handle at school. When I go home, I use my personal computer privately for whatever I want.
You don’t need a better computer to write a paper in google docs. Just use the school one.
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u/Holiday-Reply993 2d ago
What do they say if you ask to use a school-provided device instead?
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u/SteaIthed 2d ago
Well, they dont say anything. They just put restrictions on everything imaginable
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u/Holiday-Reply993 2d ago
Then you should tell them you would like to use a school-provided device
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u/Gooby-Please 2d ago
Well, yeah. It's a school provided device. It's meant to be used for school.
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u/SteaIthed 2d ago
I understand, it's just really annoying when trying to do research and the website is blocked, or I want to increase touchpad sensitivity but that's behind admin lock.
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u/BlueMoon5k 2d ago
Use the school provided device and use another to access the things you need to access
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u/IthacanPenny 1d ago
No I totally get what you’re saying here! My district provided GOOD devices (MacBook Airs!!) to staff and students… and then locked everything imaginable. And your characterization of it as “annoying” is apt. Like, I would like to be able to adjust my settings so that my brightness doesn’t auto adjust based on environment and that I can turn it up or down as I’d like to but NOPE, locked. I have a few students who choose to use their own devices, but it’s like the super advanced, studious students who are CLEARLY using the full capacity of their devices for the purpose of school and so that they can more easily save their own work for the future. Meh, it’s kind of whatever what you choose to do. But it’s probably easier to just use the school device and try to let the annoying stuff roll off your back.
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u/BitcoinsForTesla 1d ago
Sorry to say, but you’re being “difficult” because you want special consideration. Use a district provided computer to do your job, like everyone else. You might chatter with the tech department about relaxing the firewall restrictions for employees — who get different rules than students. There probably is a discussion about what teachers need, and you’d think they’d be flexible to allow them to be productive.
Then use a personal computer that accesses the Internet through your phone. Don’t use it for work.
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u/No_Goose_7390 2d ago
It seems like you should use the school's laptop in this situation while you are at school.
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u/Vergil_Is_My_Copilot 2d ago
They can probably make it part of the terms of using their network, so yes. Are they not offering you a school laptop to use while you’re there? If that’s an option, just do that and buy a laptop when you graduate.
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u/SteaIthed 2d ago
I would do that, however every single website (including some school resources) Is blocked both on the network and on the device itself, having my own device will give me the freedom to do whatever i please.
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u/Undetered_Usufruct 2d ago
Why not have both?
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u/SteaIthed 2d ago
If i had both i'd be spending more money than i need to.
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u/LaZuzene 1d ago edited 1d ago
How? Does the school require you to pay for a school issued computer? (ETA: Okay, I see you answered that. Unheard of where I taught but also seems reasonable. Also still not sure how much money you’re saving if you’re hot spotting off your phone data to access a non-school internet all day.)
If what you’re trying to access is for school stuff, tell your teacher and they or IT can unblock that site. I ran into that as a teacher with students doing research occasionally, it’s not a big deal, just ask.
If what you’re trying to have “freedom” to access isn’t school-related then wait til you’re home to do that on your personal, private laptop and room. You gotta learn to separate work/school and personal life, especially when it comes to tech.
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u/SteaIthed 1d ago
Alright, I actually never thought about asking them. Thanks for giving me the idea 🙂
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u/alax_12345 2d ago
Just realized you're a student.
You need to read the policies VERY carefully. You will get into trouble for accessing blocked items. If they're blocked wrongly for you, then your school IT department needs to update your permissions. You DO NOT have "freedom" here and bypassing firewall controls is not going to end well.
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u/Vegetable-Board-5547 2d ago
If you don't use their wifi, you should be okay
Otherwise there might be a TOS
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u/Mountain-Ad-5834 1d ago
You are consenting by connecting your device to your school account in the first place.
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u/JudgmentFriendly5714 2d ago
Why would you buy your own if you can get a free one from the school?
if you want to buy one use if for personal use.
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u/Sure-Plankton4825 2d ago
Your school probably wants to put software on it for a number of reasons - blocking inappropriate materials, making sure you aren’t distracted during class and study time, and making sure you can’t access information you aren’t supposed to during tests and assignment. These concerns are not going to cease to exist because you are on your own equipment. Sounds like you have two choices if you want to continue your education at your school - use school equipment or consent to alteration of your personal device.
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u/nezumipi 2d ago
If you're in high school, your school can place restrictions on what you do in school. They can stop you from visiting sites that might be disruptive or distracting, that Might let you cheat, that could be used in ways that otherwise violate conduct codes. The fact it's on your device dowsnt change that.
Basically, schools are allowed to regulate pupils' conduct in a wide range of ways.
You might have an argument that blocking/tracking software should be turned off when you go home, but the school can easily turn around and say theyve given you a perfectly equitable alternative. If you don't want their software on your computer, you can use the school devices.
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u/bluedressedfairy 2d ago
In my school (US) you wouldn’t be allowed to use your own network inside the school building.
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u/solid_reign 2d ago
Just as a heads up, and if you have budget: you might be able to increase the ram, and download a hypervisor and install the school's requirements on a VM. That way the school only has access to what you do when you work on them, and you don't have to worry about what you install. Once you're done, you can just erase it.
On the other hand, it would be helpful to know a little more:
- Why wouldn't you be using their network? Wouldn't you take it to school?
- What grade are you in?
- What software are they trying to install
On the other hand, if you're concerned about your privacy I would suggest you remove some details about your location.
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u/SteaIthed 2d ago
To answer your first question, Its because the school network blocks many websites, This includes school resources and websites that i could use for assignments
I am in grade 11
I dont know the exact name of the program but i believe it goes by the name of Blue Agent Identifier, At least thats what it shows on the school laptop i had previously. Which i no longer have.
Also, about my location. The sunshine coast is fairly big so im not that concerned about sharing that information.
I know my way around VM's so your idea sounds plausible, thanks for the suggestion.
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u/unleadedbrunette 2d ago
It’s a privacy situation. Don’t use your personal device unless you can use it and not hook it up to their WiFi. I sometimes use my Mac at school by hooking it u through the WiFi on my phone. You don’t want them in your business.
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u/AdmiralHomebrewers 2d ago
Most school systems accepted federal money for their Internet infrastructure in the Bush administration. Caveat was strict safety. I assume the systems get continued subsidies and don't want to lose them.
Maybe the new administration will end the department of education. Possibly the safety rules are dropped at that point. But the money would go away too. So, fewer restrictions, but no connectivity anyway. Win win? /S
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u/MonoBlancoATX 2d ago
When you say "school" do you mean primary or secondary? or do you mean university?
I'm guessing that you mean university. And, if so, yes, they can absolutely require you to install whatever software on your computer they deem necessary.
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u/rmpbklyn 2d ago
yes if you connect to their network or wifi , and online mail ( so its not parsing addresses)
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u/Hausmannlife_Schweiz 1d ago
Yes the school can put software on your machine IF you allow it. They cannot do it without your approval.
Bottom line is NEVER mix personal devices with work or in your case school. Use the school device if you don’t want anything installed on your personal laptop.
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u/Basic_Miller 1d ago
I am not sure if this has been said, but you should really consider using the district device. Maybe use a cloud based system to save documents so you can access them on both.
I would never allow a district to make changes to my personal device. I've already gotten a cell phone subpoena and do not ever want to go through that again
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u/UWSniceguy 11h ago
Can't you use what the school has provided? I don't like mixing personal and professional. We all get a MAC and and it surprises me how some teachers use it for their personal email and take it home for personal use. I keep mine at school and NEVER bring it home. If I need to input grades or create a document, I can do it from home on my own device.
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u/alax_12345 2d ago edited 2d ago
Editing this comment - Just realized this is a student.
Your school has the right to monitor anything they own, any storage under their control like network drives or school emails, and website access in school. Any communications you have on school email can be read by IT. Your IT people can scroll through your school email and network files at any time, for any reason. They can restrict you from using your personal phone, email, or social media accounts. Keep your school and private life separate. Website blockers at the firewall are out of your control anyway, regardless of the device.
What you should do is to put all of your school-related files, documents, spreadsheets, images, pdfs and such on a thumbdrive and use a school device for all school-related tasks. When you come home each day, synchronize your thumbdrive with a backup. The thumbdrive allows you to retain some control over document that you create.
You can use your own laptop, but they will probably try to install some kind of monitoring software. You can refuse to allow it, but they can ban you from using it in the building. If you take the school Chromebook and jailbreak it to Linux to install a VPN, they might not notice for a while or they could see it immediately.
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u/alax_12345 2d ago
BTW, Most schools use the Google management console to monitor student device use, and set permissions for all students. Anything you do on a school device is easy to notice if IT is looking on a regular basis.
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u/SteaIthed 2d ago
My school IT seems like they dont know what they're doing, they lose at least 5 school laptops in 1 term because they are off in wonderland. So i doubt they'll check
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u/LogDeep5571 1d ago
If nobody has mentioned it yet but the federal government has laws that say the schools have to restrict content and websites with inappropriate content. If you need access to a website, the IT department may have a request access policy that they can review the site you’re trying to access and unblock
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u/Hausmannlife_Schweiz 1d ago
While true that does not require anything to be installed on a personal computer.
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u/TheBoss6200 2d ago
They cannot monitor you if you are not on their WiFi.If your on your home WiFi or a public WiFi that would be a huge lawsuit against the school for invasion of privacy.The school can put restrictions on the WiFi without putting them on personal devices.Im in a lot of different schools and use WiFi all the time they can’t ask every civilian that comes on the grounds to install spyware to steal their info.
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u/BlackAce99 2d ago
How is this a question in this day and age? My district allows you to use any laptops even though you are assigned a computer for 2 reasons. Wifi access is tied to your student or employee number so no issues having software on my personal devices the 2nd reason is all security data is web-based so they are not too concerned about computers. The other thing is unless you are a consular or principal you have very restricted access to information. You either have to go to the hard copy room(which all staff who should have access) or ask someone to show you the account in person. I have access as the trades consular at my school and I purposely pretend I don't so people don't bug me. While this is not perfect I can't stand the school equipment and prefer teaching drafting from my personal laptop. I find the restrictions vs privacy fair while annoying.
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u/Worldly_Ingenuity387 10h ago
Your school/district has no right to put ANYTHING on your personal computer.
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u/Training_Record4751 2d ago
Why do you need to use a personal laptop at school? This is asking for trouble. Just use the school device.