Teacher Filter Controls

Overview

Teacher Filter Controls give teachers a dedicated page in the Teacher Portal to toggle specific filtering policies for their class — without needing IT support. Admins configure which policies teachers are allowed to change, and teachers use the Filter Controls page to activate or deactivate those specific overrides.

This is different from ad-hoc Teacher Overrides (where teachers allow/block individual domains). Filter Controls are pre-defined toggle switches that admins set up in advance — think of them as "approved knobs" that teachers can turn.

Prerequisites

• Admin access to the KyberGate dashboard to configure Teacher Permissions
• Teacher accounts in the KyberGate Teacher Portal
• At least one filtering policy configured for your organization

How It Works

The flow is:

1. Admin configures which policies teachers can toggle (e.g., "Allow YouTube," "Allow Social Media," "Enable Strict Mode")
2. Teacher sees these as toggle switches on their Filter Controls page
3. Teacher activates a toggle — the policy change applies to their class immediately
4. Override expires after the configured duration (end of period, set time, or manual)
5. Admin reviews override usage in the activity log

Steps for Admins

Step 1: Navigate to Teacher Permissions

Log in to the KyberGate dashboard → Settings → Teacher Permissions.

Step 2: Create Filter Control Toggles

Click Add Toggle for each policy override you want to make available to teachers. For each toggle, configure:

• Toggle Name — what teachers see (e.g., "Allow YouTube," "Block Social Media," "Enable Research Mode")
• Policy Action — what the toggle does:
  • Allow Domain(s) — temporarily allows specific domains (e.g., youtube.com, tiktok.com)
  • Block Domain(s) — temporarily blocks specific domains
  • Switch Policy Level — switches the class to Strict, Relaxed, or Open mode
  • Enable Category — allows or blocks an entire content category (e.g., Social Media, Gaming, Streaming)
• Max Duration — how long the override can last (15 min, 30 min, 1 hour, until end of period, custom)
• Auto-Expire — whether the override expires automatically or requires manual deactivation
• Available To — which teacher groups can use this toggle (all teachers, specific OUs, specific teachers)

Step 3: Set Global Teacher Permissions

Configure overall teacher permission settings:

• Can teachers create custom overrides? — if OFF, teachers can only use the pre-defined toggles (more controlled)
• Require reason for override? — if ON, teachers must type a brief reason when activating a toggle
• Override notification to admin? — if ON, admins receive an email when a teacher activates a toggle
• Max simultaneous overrides — how many toggles a teacher can have active at once (default: 3)

Step 4: Save and Deploy

Click Save. Toggles appear on the Teacher Portal's Filter Controls page immediately.

Steps for Teachers

Step 1: Open the Filter Controls Page

Log in to the KyberGate Teacher Portal at teacher.kybergate.com. Click Filter Controls in the navigation menu.

Step 2: View Available Toggles

The Filter Controls page shows all toggles your admin has made available. Each toggle displays:

• Toggle name and description
• Current status (Active / Inactive)
• What it does (e.g., "Allows youtube.com for your class")
• Duration options

Step 3: Activate a Toggle

1. Click the toggle switch or Activate button
2. Choose the duration (if multiple options are available)
3. Enter a reason (if required by admin)
4. Click Confirm

The policy change takes effect immediately for all students in your current class.

Step 4: Monitor Active Overrides

Active toggles show a colored indicator (green for allow, red for block) with a countdown timer showing time remaining.

Step 5: Deactivate a Toggle

Click the toggle switch again or click Deactivate. The policy reverts to the org default immediately. Toggles also deactivate automatically when the duration expires.

How Overrides Work and Expire

• Duration-based: When a teacher activates a toggle with a 30-minute duration, the override automatically deactivates after 30 minutes. The teacher is notified 5 minutes before expiration.
• Period-based: If "Until end of period" is selected and a bell schedule is configured, the override expires when the current period ends.
• Manual: The override stays active until the teacher manually deactivates it or until the school day ends (whichever comes first).
• Stacking: Multiple toggles can be active simultaneously (up to the admin-configured limit). If toggles conflict (e.g., one allows YouTube, another blocks all streaming), the most specific toggle wins.

Tips

• Create toggles for the most common teacher requests — this reduces IT support tickets
• Start with 3–5 toggles and add more based on teacher feedback
• Popular toggles: "Allow YouTube," "Block All Social Media," "Research Mode (relaxed filtering)," "Testing Mode (strict filtering)"
• Review the override activity log weekly to understand how teachers use the controls
• If a toggle is rarely used, consider removing it. If teachers frequently request something not available, add a new toggle.
• Filter Controls logs are visible under Reports → Teacher Overrides

FAQ

Q: What's the difference between Filter Controls and Teacher Overrides? A: Filter Controls are pre-defined toggles configured by admins — teachers can only use what admins provide. Teacher Overrides (Allow/Block Domain) let teachers enter any domain. Filter Controls are more structured and controlled; Teacher Overrides are more flexible.

Q: Can a teacher override safety-critical blocks? A: No. Toggles cannot override adult content, malware, or Red Flag safety blocks. Admins cannot create toggles that bypass safety-critical categories.

Q: Do Filter Controls affect other classes? A: No. Each toggle applies only to the teacher's current class roster. Other classes are unaffected.

Q: What happens if a teacher forgets to deactivate a toggle? A: If auto-expire is configured, the toggle deactivates automatically. If set to manual, it deactivates at the end of the school day based on the bell schedule.

Q: Can substitute teachers use Filter Controls? A: Yes, if the substitute has a KyberGate Teacher Portal account. They see the same toggles available to the teacher they're replacing.