How to inform parents of your school’s technology initiative

You’ve made the decision to enhance your technology program and improve the learning experience at your school by bringing in a new mobile device management (MDM) solution. Hopefully you’ve read our how-to switch guide and are excited to get going! District administrators are excited, teachers and students are excited too, and the parents are… Wait, you haven’t told them yet?

To help you share with them the wonderful things you’re doing to enrich their children’s lives, we’ve put together a template you can use to inform parents.

We’d be remiss if we didn’t thank Skutt Catholic High School from Omaha, Nebraska, as they were the inspiration for this letter after utilizing something similar during their successful MDM transition.

But on to the letter.

Dear parents/guardians,

This letter is to inform you that [school] is undergoing a new technology initiative that will be implemented over the coming weeks.

What is it?
As part of our education technology program, we’ve been empowering students and teachers with [iPad and/or Mac]. To help keep these devices current and get students the learning resources they need, we utilize a device management solution.

Recently, our management solution hasn’t lived up to expectations, so we are transitioning to a more robust tool — Jamf Pro from Jamf.

Why are we doing this?
Jamf is an exclusive Apple management solution and is the gold standard in helping schools maximize the learning potential of iPad and Mac. This tool gives our teachers and IT staff the ability to ensure students and teachers have the apps they need, while safeguarding students and their privacy. For example, Jamf allows us to suspend access to certain apps or webpages that are primarily used for gaming or streaming services.

How are we doing this?
Devices will need to be enrolled into the new management solution. Prior to doing this, IT will conduct a backup of all school-issued devices (if applicable) and students will be able to store important documents, pictures and other data using [cloud storage of choice: iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.] Anything placed in [cloud storage] will not be lost as a result of the transition.

To conduct the actual enrollment, we will…

[Inform parents how you plan to conduct the transition.]

[Step 1: Device enrollment — decide your path]

[Option A: IT will wipe and restore each device from the backup]

IT will automate the enrollment process by wiping each student’s device, clearing it of all content and resetting the device to factory settings. Once complete, IT will enroll the device into Jamf Pro and restore each device based on the backup that was previously completed. This does require the devices to be out of service for a brief period of time while they are wiped, enrolled and restored.

[Option B: IT collects the devices and enrolls them]

Our IT staff will collect each student’s device and enroll the iPads into Jamf Pro.

[Option C: Students will assist in the enrollment process]

Our IT staff will assist students in enrolling their devices to ensure proper enrollment and avoid critical data loss during the process.

[Step 2: Apps — identify your method]

[Option A: Apps were removed from devices]

Although apps may be temporarily removed as a part of this transition, your student should see them re-installed once the device has been enrolled into Jamf Pro. For this reason, it is important to back up any important documents prior to the transition.

[Option B: Apps were left on devices]

Your student may be prompted to let Jamf Pro take over management of apps that the school installed. This will ensure that apps stay in place and up to date.

[Step 3: Books — remind parents of ownership]

Any books downloaded from iBooks can always be accessed from the purchase history of your student’s Apple ID.

[Step 4: Apple IDs — existing and creating new]

[Option A: Existing Apple IDs plus Managed Apple IDs]

Students who already have an Apple ID will be able to continue using this account. For new students, IT will create a Managed Apple ID and provide them with their new login information.

[Option B: Transitioning to Managed Apple IDs for Shared iPad]

Although students may already have an Apple ID, the IT department will be creating new Managed Apple IDs for all students. This allows access to new capabilities, including a Shared iPad experience that we are bringing to the classroom.

Who to contact with questions?
If you have any questions, please contact [Name and email]. We thank you for your support in the deployment of these innovative education tools.

Sincerely,
[Name and Title]