Support Options
Microsoft 365 Student Access
As of the 2022-23 school year all students without an approved accommodation plan are required to use some form of two factor authentication to access their district issued Microsoft 365 account. This change is the primary reason students are now required to use a district issued device and why access on personal devices is unavailable.
As of this communication students will now have an option to access their Microsoft 365 accounts (including Teams) on a personal device with the support of an app-based authenticator. The app-based authenticator is required to maintain two factor authentication when a district device is not being used to access Microsoft 365.
Please follow this link to review the authenticator setup guide which outlines the steps required to setup an authenticator on a student’s account. Account authenticators may only be modified from a district issued device and once setup can be used to permit access to Microsoft 365 on a personal device. The guide outlines the specific steps, requirements, and caveats to consider when using an app-based authenticator.
The end of this message will outline steps on how to gain support should you run into any issues.
Mobile Phone Coverage
Mobile carrier wireless and Wi-Fi wireless are different technologies that use different methods to provide device connections. The district provides Wi-Fi wireless for data communication only and does not permit calling over Wi-Fi for various security reasons. Mobile carrier provided wireless provides services over their privately managed cellular networks, which includes cell phones calls, texting, and Internet data that is not managed or maintained by the district.
The district does not have control over mobile phone provider coverage this is managed by those carriers respectively. In the last few years carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile have worked with the town to improve their coverage area while carriers like Verizon have not. The district makes no effort to actively dampen, disrupt, or limit mobile phone coverage in our buildings. The limited coverage in our buildings is a byproduct of poor carrier coverage and the construction material used in the buildings themselves.
Specific to Verizon, we have sent along the feedback from concerned families to the vendor as we do have a relationship with them. We will continue to press Verizon for a solution and the district will continue to look for cost effective options to address the poor coverage in and around our buildings.
Student Wireless Access
Student access to the district wireless network is no longer permitted as of the 2022-23 school year. Access to the district’s guest wireless network is restricted to staff and students with a developmental or health accommodation where Internet access is required.
Families of students with developmental or health issues are encouraged to reach out to their building principal to ensure their child is setup with a device accommodation.
Since the district started providing BYOD access over 10 years ago at no time have guest devices been permitted to use that network to make cellular calls over our Wi-Fi. The removal of student BYOD access made no change in the current mobile provider coverage in and around our buildings.
Technical Support
Throughout the school year technical support is needed for various reasons. Here are a few options available to obtain support should an issue arise.
- Teacher / Counselor / Etc. – The most important step in getting support is letting the staff that support your child directly know that an issue exists. These team members can submit a support request on behalf of the student and make the building tech team aware of an issue.
- Main Office – Each building’s main office is another great resource for students during the school day. In addition to informing the building tech team each is equipped with loaner devices that can be issued at the time of reporting so access to a working device is not delayed.
- Student Self Advocated Support – Students with access to their district issued email address can use that account to send an email to helpdesk@rtnj.org. This email address is only available to district email addresses and will setup a support ticket on behalf of the student.