Personal Information Privacy Policy for Parents and Students
The School’s Commitment to You
Safeguarding your confidentiality and protecting your personal
information is a fundamental concern of St. Francis Xavier
School. The school is committed to meeting or exceeding the
privacy standards established by the BC Personal Information
Protection Act (PIPA).
This personal information privacy policy is intended to
explain to you the current legislation which is designed to
protect your privacy, to regulate the use and collection of
information, and to state the steps the school has taken to
ensure your personal and financial information is handled
appropriately and securely.
Privacy Protection in British Columbia
The Act requires an organization to obtain informed consent
from an individual before collecting personal information
about that individual, with certain exemptions. The organization
must state why it is collecting the information, and how it
will use the information collected. The Act also requires
the organization to keep the information it has collected
in a secure and safe manner, protecting the individual’s
right to have his or her information protected. The Act also
describes with whom the personal information may be shared.
Note: St. Francis Xavier School does not
fall under the Freedom of Information and Protection
of Privacy Act (FOIPPA), which applies only to provincial
government and its bodies; neither does it fall under the
Protection of Personal Information and Electronic
Documents Act (PIPEDA), a federal statute.
Ten Privacy Principles
As part of St. Francis Xavier School’s commitment,
the following Ten Privacy Principles govern the actions of
the school as they relate to the use of personal information.
These principles have been built upon the values set by the
Canadian Standards Association’s Model Code for the
Protection of Personal Information and British Columbia’s
Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA).
Principle 1 – Accountability
St. Francis Xavier School is responsible for maintaining
and protecting the personal information under its control.
In fulfilling this mandate, the school designates an individual(s)
who is(are) accountable for the school’s compliance
with the Ten Privacy Principles. This individual is the Privacy
Manager of the school.
Principle 2 – Identifying Purposes
St. Francis Xavier School will identify the purposes for
which personal information is collected before or at the time
the information is collected.
Principle 3 – Consent
St. Francis Xavier School will obtain consent of the individual
for the collection, use or disclosure of personal information
except where the law states exemptions, grants permission,
or creates a requirement for collection, use, or disclosure
of personal information.
Principle 4 – Limiting Collection
St. Francis Xavier School will limit the personal information
collected to those details necessary for the purposes identified
by the school.
Principle 5 – Use, Disclosure and Retention
St. Francis Xavier School will only use, disclose and retain
personal information for the purpose for which it was collected
unless the individual has otherwise consented, or when its
use, disclosure or retention is required or permitted by law.
Personal information will only be retained for the period
of time required to fulfill the purpose for which it was collected.
Principle 6 – Accuracy
St. Francis Xavier School will maintain personal information
as accurate, complete and up-to-date form as is necessary
to fulfill the purposes for which it is to be used.
Principle 7 – Safeguarding Personal Information
St. Francis Xavier School will protect personal information
by security safeguards that are appropriate to the sensitivity
level of the information.
Principle 8 – Openness
St. Francis Xavier School will make information available
to individuals concerning the policies and practices that
apply to the management of their information.
Principle 9 – Individual Access
St. Francis Xavier School will inform an individual, upon
the individual’s request, of the existence, use and
disclosure of the individual’s information, and shall
give the individual access to it in accordance with the law.
Individuals may verify the accuracy and completeness of their
information and may request that it be amended, if appropriate.
Principle 10 – Complaint Process
Individuals may direct any questions or enquiries with respect
to the school’s privacy policies or practices to the
Privacy Manager of St. Francis Xavier School.
What Information is Collected?
St. Francis Xavier School gathers and uses personal information
to provide your child with the best possible educational services
enunciated by the Mission statement of the school. Most of
the information the school collects comes to the school directly
from you, and only with your consent. When you apply to register
your child the school will ask you to provide the information
that enables it to complete the registration process. This
also includes information on academic, health, and personal
matters needed by the school to provide the best possible
education and co-curricular programs.
How is Information Used?
St. Francis Xavier School, uses
- personal information to communicate with you, process
applications and ultimately to provide you and your child
with the educational services and co-curricular programs
you expect.
- personal information to enable the school to operate its
administrative function, including payment of school fees
and maintenance of non-educational school programs including
parent and volunteer participation and fundraising.
- anonymous/personal information to constantly improve our
school, e.g., surveys.
- health, psychological, or legal information to provide
certain specialized services in those areas or as adjunct
information in delivering educational services.
If for any reason personal information is required to fulfill
a different purpose, the school will notify you and ask you
for your consent before the school proceeds.
When May Information be Disclosed?
St. Francis Xavier School, keeps personal information strictly
confidential and treats it with care and respect. However,
some of an individual’s personal information may be
shared with others as noted below.
When Authorized by You
- Other educational institutions routinely contact the
school for personal information about students. For example,
if your child moves to another school, college or university,
student records are requested by the enrolling institution.
Your permission to pass on these records is usually obtained
when your register your child and authorize the school to
disclose such information to other appropriate educational
institutions for the ongoing education of your child.
- Contact information may be used to enable the school to
provide the para-educational and administrative services
usually operated by the school. These services include phoning
committees, participation groups, parent meetings, fundraising,
events, annual general meetings, etc.
In some cases, when communication is over the telephone,
your consent to the use and/or disclosure of your information
will be obtained verbally. In other cases such as when you
communicate through e-mail, your consent will be obtained
electronically.
When Required by Law
The type of information the school is legally required to
disclose most often relates to family court issues, legal
proceedings, court orders and government tax reporting requirements.
Student information as per Form 1701 is annually filed with
the Ministry of Education.
Only the information specifically requested is disclosed
and the school takes precautions to satisfy itself that the
authorities making the request have legitimate grounds to
do so.
When Permitted by Law
The school is legally permitted to disclose some personal
information in situations such as an investigation of illegal
activities, reasonable methods to collect overdue accounts,
a medical emergency or suspicion of illegal activities etc.
Only pertinent information is disclosed.
The school does not sell, lease or trade information about
you to other parties.
The School’s Employees
In the course of daily operations, access to personal information
is restricted to authorized employees who have a legitimate
reason for accessing it. For example, teachers will have access
to personal information about your child but not your account
with the school.
All employees of St. Francis Xavier School are required to
abide by the privacy standards governed under PIPA. They are
also required to work within the principles of ethical behavior
as set out in employment contracts and must follow all applicable
laws and regulations. Employees are well informed about the
importance of privacy. To reinforce their understanding and
commitment to upholding client privacy and confidentiality,
employees periodically receive up-to-date literature about
our privacy policy, principles and standards.
Outside Service Suppliers
At St. Francis Xavier School, the school sometimes contacts
outside organizations to perform specialized services such
as printing, student assessments, market research or data
processing. For example, the school gives its photographer
the information required to produce the annual memory book.
Suppliers of specialized services are given only the information
necessary to perform those services.
Restricting Sharing Information
Please indicate on the consent form included in the registration
package if you choose to limit the sharing of your personal
information. You may also contact the school office and submit
a written letter specifying which items of personal information
you wish to limit, and to whom you wish these items to be
restricted. Please remember that certain agencies, by law,
have access to certain types of personal information.
How Does The School Safeguard Information?
St. Francis Xavier School, maintains current security standards
to ensure that your personal and financial information is
protected against unauthorized access, disclosure, inappropriate
alteration or misuse.
Student Files
Student files are stored in secured filing cabinets. Access
is restricted to only those employees (teachers, teacher-aides,
counselors, secretaries, etc.) who, by nature of their work,
are required to see them.
Electronic Security
The school manages electronic files appropriately with passwords
and security measures that limit access by unauthorized personnel.
The school’s security practices are reviewed periodically
to ensure that the privacy of your information is not compromised.
Record Management
Personal information is destroyed one year after the school
no longer needs the information or one year after legal minimum
retention requirements have been met.
Accessing and Amending Information
St. Francis Xavier School, makes decisions based on the
information it has. The school makes every effort to ensure
information is accurate and complete.
Accessing Your Information
You may access and verify any of your personal information
with appropriate notice so that the office is able to supply
you with the information you require. Most of this information
is available in the registration forms and other forms that
you filled out.
Accessing Student Information
You may access and verify school records of your children,
with appropriate notice during normal school hours. In situations
of family breakdown, the school will grant access to records
of children as determined by judicial review.
Amending Your Information
To help the school keep your personal information up-to-date,
the school encourages you to request the school to amend inaccuracies
and make corrections. Where appropriate, the school will communicate
these changes to other parties who may have unintentionally
received incorrect information from the school.
Questions, Concerns and Complaints
The school may add, modify or remove portions of this policy
when it is considered appropriate to do so. You may ask for
the most recent update of this policy at the school office.
Questions, concerns, and complaints about privacy, confidentiality
and information handling of the school may be addressed to
the school’s Privacy Manager by calling the school office.
If necessary, you will be referred to use the school’s
complaint procedure and appeals policies.
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