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Managing District Passwords

An important part of your responsibilities as a district employee is maintaining the security and accuracy of your district password. 

If you are having difficulties logging into district systems like TRES, or this website, your password has probably expired. For now, your district email will continue to work when your password for other systems has expired.

Note: Passwords can only be changed once every 24 hours

 Changing Your Password

  • If you have activated the self-service password reset option described below, you can change your password from home through Microsoft 365.
    • If you have forgotten your old password, you can use the "Forgot Password" link on the Office 365 login page to recover your password.
    • If you simply need to change an expired password, you should login to Office 365, click the Settings cog in the upper right corner, and seach for Change Password.  
    • Please be patient. A password change requires at least 20 minutes to reach most systems and overnight to reach other systems. 
  • If you cannot change your password through Microsoft 365, OR if you are currently inside the district, you should try logging into a networked district computer with your old password: 
    • If your current password has expired, you will be prompted to reset that password.
    • If your password has not expired, you can use CTRL + ALT + DELETE after login to select "Change Password."
    • Please be patient. A password change requires at least 20 minutes to reach most systems and overnight to reach other systems.
  • If you have not been able to reset your password using the methods above, you must contact the district's Human Resources Department at (337) 836-9661. 

Self-Service Password Reset for Microsoft 365

  • Faculty and staff can register using the password reset registration page. Follow the instructions to register for an alternative form of verification (outside email, phone number, or security questions).The password reset option in Microsoft 365 will then be available.

  • Do not choose the "Call Me" option. It fails most of the time.

Multi-Factor Authentication for Microsoft 365

Multi-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security for your Microsoft 365 account.  It allows you to access your accounts from devices outside the district. 

  • Most users see the prompt to establish multi-factor authentication upon first login. You can select text message, phone call, or security questions (coming soon). 
  • To modify these settings, log into Microsoft 365 and use "view account" to find “Update contact preferences” on the dashboard screen. Select “Security and Privacy” and “Additional security verification” to review or change settings.  

Creating Complex Passwords

Password strength involves length, complexity, and unpredictability. Passwords that are too hard to remember are more likely to be forgotten or written on a piece of paper, so it's important to craft passwords carefully. Passwords cannot be reused, but portions of the password can be changed incrementally.

Step 1: Select a base word or phrase that is difficult to spell, that is spelled in an unusual manner, or that is an unpredictable combination of words.

  • It cannot include your account username.
  • It must be at least twelve (12) characters in length.
  • If the password is a word that can be found in a dictionary, intersperse the numerals with the letters to increase unpredictability a bit; however, combining two or more unrelated words is far more unpredictable and is highly recommended.

Step 2: To maintain protocols for password complexity, passwords must contain characters from three of these four categories: 

  • Upper-case letters
  • Lower-case letters
  • Numerals from 0 to 9
  • Special non-alphanumeric characters from this list: ~!@#$%^&*_-+=`|\(){}[]:;"'<>,.?/
     

Recommendations for Securing a Password

  • Avoid using the names of family members and pets, particularly if this information is readily available through social networking.
  • Avoid writing a password on a piece of paper. If it must be written down, secure its location in some manner.
  • Do not give a password to anyone else--not to school administrators, not to another teacher, and certainly not to students.
  • If a password must be shared with a technician who is present in your classroom or office, change that password upon completion of the service call for your own security.
  • Do not respond to email messages asking recipients to verify their credentials (username and/or password) by going to a website.  Deceptive emails of this type sometimes slip through email filters, and these messages should be deleted without clicking any links.  If there is a doubt about a request being made via email, contact the district person whose name is included in the message by phone.