Password-Protected Areas (PPA) allow you to restrict access to specific sections of your school website, ensuring that sensitive or exclusive content is only available to authorized users.
Understanding Password-Protected Areas
Think of Password-Protected Areas like a filing system:
The password-protected area is a locked file cabinet drawer
The pages and features you add are the papers you place in that drawer
Giving users access is like providing them with a key to the drawer
You can create multiple password-protected areas (multiple filing cabinets), add various pages to each area (multiple files per drawer), and grant access to multiple users for each area (multiple people with keys to the same drawer).
Common Use Cases for Schools
Password-Protected Areas are ideal for:
Staff-only resources - Professional development materials, policy documents, or internal communications
Parent portals - Grade reports, conference scheduling, or family-specific information
Student homework areas - Assignment details, resources, or class-specific materials
Board meeting materials - Agendas, minutes, or confidential documents
Department-specific content - Curriculum resources, specialized tools, or team communications
Setting Up Password Protection
To create a password-protected area, follow these three main steps:
Set up your password-protected area with a clear name that reflects its purpose (e.g., "Staff Resources" or "Parent Portal").
Select which pages and features should be included in this protected area. You can add multiple pages and organize them as needed.
Grant access to specific individuals by adding their login credentials. Users will need these credentials to access the protected content.
Important Limitations to Consider
What can be password-protected:
Any page URL on your website can be protected
What cannot be password-protected:
Individual files such as PDFs (like homework assignments)
While you can protect the page containing the files, the actual files may still be accessible through Google search or your site's search function
Recommendation: If you need to truly hide content, avoid placing sensitive PDFs on password-protected pages, as they may still be discoverable through search engines.
User Login Duration
Public site logins: Users stay logged in as long as their browser remains open. The system uses session cookies that expire when the browser is closed.
Note: This is different from admin site logins, which have 90-minute session limits.
Best Practices
Use descriptive names for your password-protected areas to make management easier
Regularly review user access to ensure only authorized individuals have access
Consider the search engine visibility limitation when deciding what content to protect
Inform users that they'll need to log in again if they close their browser
Getting Started
Password-Protected Areas provide a flexible way to control access to your school's digital resources. Whether you're creating a staff portal, parent communication hub, or student resource center, this feature helps ensure the right people see the right content at the right time.