STMC Privacy Policy

The School's Commitment to You

Safeguarding personal information of parents and students is a fundamental concern of St. ThomasMore Collegiate. The school is committed to meeting or exceeding the privacy standards established byBritish Columbia's Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) and any other applicable legislation.This Personal Information Privacy Policy describes the policies and practices of St. Thomas MoreCollegiate regarding the collection, use and disclosure of personal information about students andparents, including the steps the school has taken to ensure personal and financial information is handled appropriately and securely.

St. Thomas More Collegiate may add, modify or remove portions of this Personal Information Privacy Policy when it is considered appropriate to do so, and any such changes will be effective upon giving notice of the revised policy by posting the revisions on the school website at http://stthomasmorecollegiate.ca/Policies/privacy-policy/. You may find the most recent update of this Personal Information Privacy Policy posted on the school website at http://stthomasmorecollegiate.ca/Policies/privacy-policy/. This Personal Information Privacy Policy may be supplemented or modified by agreements entered into between St. Thomas More Collegiate and an individual from timeto time.

Ten Privacy Principles

As part of St. Thomas More Collegiate's commitment, the Ten Privacy Principles govern the actions of the school as they relate to the use of personal information. This Personal Information Privacy Policy describes the Ten Privacy Principles and provides further details regarding St. Thomas MoreCollegiate's compliance with the principles.

Definitions

In this Personal Information Privacy Policy, the following terms have the meanings set out below:

"personal information" means any information about an identifiable individual, as further defined underBritish Columbia's Personal Information Protection Act or other applicable laws. Personal information excludes the name, position name or title, business telephone number, business address, business email, and business fax number of an individual, as well as any publicly available information as designated under applicable laws, such as information available from a public telephone directory or from a public registry.

"Parent" means the parent, guardian, or other legal representative of a student."

"Student" means a prospective, current, or past student of St. Thomas More Collegiate.

Principle 1 – Accountability

St. Thomas More Collegiate is responsible for maintaining and protecting the personal information underits control. In fulfilling this mandate, the school designates individual who is accountable for the school's compliance with the Ten Privacy Principles. This individual is the Privacy Officer of the school. You may contact our Privacy Officer as follows:

St. Thomas More Collegiate
Attention: Privacy Officer
Address: 7450 12
th Avenue, Burnaby BC V3N 2K1
Phone: 604 521 1801
Fax: 604 520 0725
Email: principal@stmc.bc.ca

Principle 2 – Identifying Purposes

St. Thomas More Collegiate will, before or at the time personal information is collected, identify thepurposes for which the information is collected, used and disclosed.

What Information is Collected?

St. Thomas More Collegiate collects and uses personal information to provide students 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 parents and students or is information regarding the student's school activities, performance or behaviour, such as attendance records or grades. For example, when a student applies to register in the school, 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. St. Thomas More Collegiate also collects information in connection with the use of its computer systems, its volunteer, parent and alumni programs, its recognition, achievement, and community promotion programs. and its website and media arts programs. Personal information may also be collected and used and disclosed in the course of the operation of building security systems, including video and other surveillance systems.

Principle 3 – Consent

St. Thomas More Collegiate 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.

Requirements for consent to collection, use or disclosure of personal information vary depending on circumstances and on the type of personal information that is intended to be collected, used or disclosed. In determining whether consent is required and, if so, what form of consent is appropriate, St. ThomasMore Collegiate will take into account both the sensitivity of the personal information and the purposesfor which St. Thomas More Collegiate will use the information. Consent may be express, implied(including through use of "opt-out" consent where appropriate), or deemed. For example, if an individual provides his/her mailing address and requests information regarding a particular service, consent to use the address to provide the requested information may be implied. If an individual poses for or agrees to appear in a photo or video, or to be recorded in an audio recording, consent to reasonably use the photo, video, and/or audio recording as part of school displays or presentations, or on the school website may be implied.

On giving reasonable written notice to St. Thomas More Collegiate, an individual may withdraw consentto the collection, use or disclosure of his or her personal information. Upon notice of withdrawal of consent, St. Thomas More Collegiate will notify the individual of the likely consequences of withdrawinghis or her consent and, except where otherwise required or permitted by law, St. Thomas More Collegiate will stop collecting, using or disclosing the personal information as requested.

If a person provides St. Thomas More Collegiate or its service providers or agents with personalinformation about an individual, the person represents that it has all necessary authority and/or has obtained all necessary consents from such individual to enable St. Thomas More Collegiate to collect,use and disclose such personal information for the purposes set forth in this Personal Information Privacy Policy.

Principle 4 – Limiting Collection

St. Thomas More Collegiate will limit the personal information collected to that information necessary forthe purposes identified by the school.

Principle 5 – Use, Disclosure and Retention

St. Thomas More Collegiate will only use, disclose and retain personal information for the purpose forwhich it was collected unless the individual has otherwise consented, or when its use, disclosure or retention is required or permitted by law.

How is Information Used?

St. Thomas More Collegiate uses personal information as follows:

• to communicate with parents and students, process applications and ultimately to providestudents with the educational services and co-curricular programs you expect.

• to enable the school to operate its administrative function, including payment of schoolfees and maintenance of non-educational school programs including parent and volunteer participation and fundraising.

• health, psychological, or legal information to provide certain specialized services in thoseareas or as adjunct information in delivering educational services.

• Burnaby Health Department - The names, home addresses, telephone numbers, birthdates and care card numbers of students, and the names, addresses and home/work telephone numbers of their parents/guardians are shared for the purposes of immunization programs and outbreak of disease. Health information is collected to protect the health and safety of the student.

• Volunteers - Class lists, home telephone numbers and, in some circumstances care cardnumbers are shared for the purposes of contacting parents/guardians in an emergency such as inclement weather situations, and school sponsored events.

• Parent Association - Home telephone numbers may be shared to assist with contactingparents/guardians to invite them to become involved in a variety of school-related activities that will benefit students.

• BC School Sports Association and Other Schools - The name, gender, birth date,photograph, grade, and the year the student entered grade 8, for the purpose of team registration.

• Students' work with their first and last name and, possibly, grade level may be sharedwith the public through science fairs, math/science competitions, art projects, displays and newsletters.

• Birthday or other congratulations to students such as "Today is Joe Smith's birthday",may be announced or posted in the school.

• Student names, grades, and achievements may be provided to organizations such asRotary Clubs, Scholarship Committees, Optimists and Lions Clubs for the purpose of determining suitability for an honour or award to recognize outstanding achievement or distinguished services.

• Student's names, photographs, video and/or recordings of his/her voice may be used forschool newsletters, school website, school video and other media productions, hall displays, community television and local newspapers for school-related purposes.

• Video surveillance images are recorded and retained as deemed necessary by theschool administration for purposes of enhancing the safety and security of the school community

If for any reason personal information is required to fulfill another purpose, the school will, where appropriate, notify you and ask you for your consent before the school proceeds.

St. Thomas More Collegiate may use anonymous information, such as information collected throughsurveys or statistical information regarding students, to constantly improve our school.

When May Information be Disclosed?

St. Thomas More Collegiate may disclose an individual's personal information to others in connectionwith the purpose for which it was collected, as consented to by the individual, or as required or permitted by law. The following are some examples of how St. Thomas More Collegiate may disclose personal information.

When Authorized by You

Other educational institutions routinely contact the school for personal information about students. For example, if a student 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 the student is registered and you authorize the school to disclose such information to other appropriate educational institutions for the ongoing education of the student.

• Contact information may be used to enable the school to provide the para-educationaland administrative services usually operated by the school. These services include phoning committees, participation groups, parent meetings, fundraising, events, annual general meetings, etc.

• BC School Sports Association and Other Schools - The name, gender, birth date,photograph, grade, and the year the student entered grade 8, for the purpose of team registration.

• Students' work with their first and last name and, possibly, grade level may be sharedwith the public through science fairs, math/science competitions, art projects, displays and newsletters.

• Birthday or other congratulations to students such as "Today is Joe Smith's birthday",may be announced or posted in the school.

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.

Outside Service Suppliers

At St. Thomas More Collegiate, 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 yearbook publisher the information required to produce the annual yearbook.Suppliers of specialized services are given only the information necessary to perform those services, and St. Thomas More Collegiate takes appropriate steps to ensure that such information is securely transferred and stored and is used only to fulfill the purposes for which it was disclosed to the service provider.

Restricting Sharing Information

If you choose to limit the sharing of your personal information, please 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 Long Is Personal Information Retained?

Personal information will only be retained for the period of time required to fulfill the purpose for which it was collected. Once the personal information is no longer required to be retained to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected and is no longer required or permitted to be retained for legal or business purposes, it will be destroyed or made anonymous.

Principle 6 – Accuracy

St. Thomas More Collegiate will take appropriate steps to ensure that personal information collected by St. Thomas More Collegiate is as accurate and complete as is reasonably required in connection withthe purposes for which it was collected, used or disclosed.

How May I Update Outdated or Incorrect Information?

An individual may, upon written request to St. Thomas More Collegiate, request that St. Thomas More Collegiate correct an error or omission in any personal information that is under St. Thomas MoreCollegiate 's control and St. Thomas More Collegiate will, as appropriate, amend the information asrequested and send the corrected personal information to each third party to which it has disclosed the information during the preceding year.

Principle 7 – Safeguarding Personal Information

St. Thomas More Collegiate will protect personal information by security safeguards that are appropriateto the sensitivity level of the information. 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 students but not your account with the school. Employees are appropriately educated about the importance of privacy and they are required to follow the school's policies and procedures regarding handling of personal information.

Student Files

Student files are stored in secured filing cabinets and electronic files. 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 personal information is not compromised.

Principle 8 – Openness

St. Thomas More Collegiate will make information available to individuals concerning the policies andpractices that apply to the management of personal information. Individuals may direct any questions or enquiries with respect to the school's privacy policies or practices to the Privacy Officer of St. Thomas More Collegiate.

Principle 9 – Individual Access

St. Thomas More Collegiate will inform an individual, upon the individual's request, of the existence, useand disclosure of the individual's personal information, and shall give the individual access to it in accordance with the law.

How May I Access My Personal Information?

Individuals may access and verify any personal information with appropriate notice so that the office is able to supply the information required. Most of this information is available in the registration forms and other forms that you filled out.

Parent Access to Student Personal Information

A parent may access and verify school records of the student, with appropriate notice during normal school hours. In situations of family breakdown, the school will grant access to records of students in accordance with the law.

Student Access to Student Personal Information

A student over the age of 18 may access and verify school records of the student, with appropriate notice during normal school hours. A student under the age of 18 may access and verify school records of the student through their parent or guardian's access rights.

Principle 10 – Complaint Process

Individuals may question compliance with the above principles.

Questions, Concerns and Complaints

Questions, concerns, and complaints about privacy, confidentiality and personal information handling policies and practices of the school should be directed to the school's Privacy Officer by calling the school office. If necessary, individuals will be referred to use the school's complaint procedure and appeals policies.

March 2004