Overview
Bell Schedule Enforcement lets you automatically switch filtering policies throughout the school day based on your class periods. Instead of applying one policy all day, you can assign different restriction levels — strict, relaxed, or open — to each period so students get the right level of access at the right time.
When a bell rings (figuratively), KyberGate changes the active policy for every device in the organization. No manual intervention required.
Prerequisites
- A KyberGate organization with at least one active policy
- Admin or Policy Manager role in the KyberGate dashboard
- Your school's bell schedule (period start and end times)
- Timezone configured for your organization
Steps
Step 1: Navigate to Bell Schedules
Log in to the KyberGate dashboard at dashboard.kybergate.com. In the left sidebar, click Policies, then select the Bell Schedules tab at the top of the page.
Step 2: Create a New Schedule
Click the + New Schedule button. Give your schedule a descriptive name, such as "Regular Day" or "Early Dismissal Wednesday." You can create multiple schedules for different day types.
Step 3: Set Your Timezone
Select your school's timezone from the dropdown. This ensures periods activate at the correct local time, even during daylight saving transitions. The timezone applies to all periods within this schedule.
Step 4: Define Periods
Click Add Period to create each block of your school day. For each period, enter:
- Period Name — e.g., "Period 1," "Lunch," "Homeroom"
- Start Time — when the period begins (e.g., 8:00 AM)
- End Time — when the period ends (e.g., 8:45 AM)
- Policy Level — choose from:
- Strict — blocks social media, gaming, streaming, and entertainment. Only educational and approved sites allowed.
- Relaxed — allows most sites but still blocks adult content, gaming, and known distractions.
- Open — minimal filtering. Only adult content and malware are blocked. Good for free periods or after-school.
Step 5: Use Presets (Optional)
KyberGate includes preset templates to get you started quickly:
- Elementary School — strict during all class periods, relaxed during lunch and recess
- Middle School — strict during core classes, relaxed during electives and lunch
- High School — relaxed during most periods, strict during testing blocks
- After School — open policy from dismissal until the next school day
Click Load Preset, select a template, then customize it to match your exact schedule.
Step 6: Configure Days Off
Under the Days Off section, mark days when the schedule should not apply — weekends, holidays, professional development days, or breaks. On days off, the organization's default policy applies instead.
You can also set date ranges for extended breaks like winter or summer vacation.
Step 7: Assign and Activate
Click Save Schedule, then toggle the schedule to Active. Only one schedule can be active per day. If you have multiple schedules (e.g., Regular and Early Dismissal), assign each to specific days of the week.
Tips
- Create a separate "Testing Day" schedule with strict policies for all periods during standardized testing
- Use the Preview button to see a timeline visualization of your schedule before activating
- Bell schedules work alongside teacher overrides — teachers can still adjust policies for their classroom during any period
- Changes to an active schedule take effect within 60 seconds across all devices
- If no period is active (gaps between periods), the organization's default policy applies
FAQ
Q: What happens if periods overlap? A: KyberGate will use the policy from the period that started most recently. Avoid overlaps when possible for predictable behavior.
Q: Can different grades have different bell schedules? A: Bell schedules apply organization-wide. If you need different schedules per grade, create separate sub-organizations for each grade level and assign unique schedules to each.
Q: What policy applies outside of scheduled periods? A: The organization's default policy applies during any time not covered by a bell schedule period, including before school, after school, and during gaps.
Q: Do bell schedules work on weekends? A: By default, no. Schedules only apply on the weekdays you assign them to. Weekend browsing uses the default org policy unless you explicitly assign a schedule to Saturday or Sunday.