Privacy

Privacy Policy Statement

We are committed to providing our visitors with a website that respects their privacy. This page summarizes the privacy policy and practices of the Waterloo Region District School Board websites.

How We Manage Your Personal Information 

We do not automatically gather any personal information from you, such as your name, phone number, e-mail or address. This information is only obtained if you supply it voluntarily, usually through contacting us via e-mail, subscribing to our newsfeeds or registering in a secure portion of the site.

If you choose to provide us with personal information—as in an e-mail or by filling out a form with your personal information and submitting it through our website—we use that information to respond to your message and to help us get you the information or service you have requested. We treat e-mails the same way we treat letters sent to the Waterloo Region District School Board. We only share the information you give us with another school board department if your inquiry relates to that department. Moreover, we do not create individual profiles with the information you provide nor do we give it to any private organizations. The Waterloo Region District School Board does not collect information for commercial marketing. Further, we keep the information only for the length of time necessary to fulfill the purpose for which it was collected, or one year, whichever is shorter.

Any personal information you do provide is managed according to the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and/or the Education Act. This means that, at the point of collection, you will be informed that your personal information is being collected, the purpose for which it is being collected and that you have a right of access to the information.

What We Record Automatically 

When you access a Waterloo Region District School Board website, our servers automatically record information that your browser routinely sends whenever you visit a website. These “server logs” may include information such as your web request, Internet Protocol (IP) address, browser type, browser language, the date and time of your request and/or one or more Cookies (a “Cookie” is a small file stored on your computer that contains a unique personal identification code) that may uniquely identify your browser. The Waterloo Region District School Board may use this information to monitor network traffic, for statistical purposes or to identify unauthorized access attempts.

We Will Not Attempt to Identify You Personally 

We will not identify specific users or their browsing activities, except as required by Ontario or Canadian law or if we are compelled to produce this information for a legal proceeding. However, our website does use Cookies to speed navigation, keep track of information, and provide you with custom-tailored content. We also use Cookies to remember information you gave us so you don’t have to re-enter it each time you visit the website. Most browsers are initially set to accept Cookies. If you prefer, you can set your browser to refuse Cookies.

We Cannot Guarantee the Content of Other Sites 

Our websites may contain links to other sites. We are not responsible for the content and the privacy practices of other websites and encourage you to examine each site’s privacy policy and make your own decisions regarding the accuracy, reliability and correctness of material and information found.

How to Contact Us For More Information About This Policy 

If at any time you have questions about our privacy policy, please contact the Freedom of Information, Privacy and Records Information Management Officer:

By e-mail: lorie_hough@wrdsb.on.ca
By telephone: (519) 570-0003, ext. 4409
By mail: 51 Ardelt Avenue, Kitchener, Ontario   N2C 2R5
By fax: (519) 742-1364

 

 

Use of Personal Information

The Waterloo Region District School Board has developed several areas of focus to assist with defining school board direction. Some of those areas of focus include:

  • safe and secure learning environments
  • health and wellness of students and staff
  • caring and supportive school cultures and communities
  • communications with students, parents, community members and staff
  • quality information for planning, decision-making, and accountability
  • operational effectiveness and efficiency.

To that end, the Waterloo Region District School Board believes in the following principles relating to the use of personal information:

  • the Board has an obligation to protect and appropriately use the personal information over which it has care and control;
  • all staff need to be trained in the protection of confidential information;
  • our policies need to be clear and well-defined so individuals can have confidence that the Board is using their information in an appropriate manner;
  • the accuracy of data is important to the integrity and on-going confidence in our systems;
  • information is not used, disclosed, retained or discarded in a way that contravenes existing provincial or federal law;
  • if an error is made regarding the use of personal information the appropriate corrective action is taken and staff are given the opportunity to learn from the experience;
  • the proper tools and infrastructure be created and maintained that facilitates the protection of personal information;
  • as part of our ongoing commitment, a strong culture of privacy awareness is developed and embedded in our organizational culture.

Questions regarding the use of personal information by the Waterloo Region District School Board should be directed to the Freedom of Information, Privacy and Records Information Management Officer at (519) 570-0003, ext. 4409.

Updated January 2012.