Privacy at KPR

The Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board (KPRDSB) is committed to protecting the personal information of students and staff.  We are guided by the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA) and the Education Act. This page shares information about the collection, use and disclosure of personal information at KPRDSB.

Notice of the Collection, Use and Disclosure of Student Personal Information

Our legislative requirements for using and protecting information:

• The Education Act sets out duties and powers of the school board and authorizes the Board to collect personal information to plan and deliver educational programs and services. We are required by law to report certain information to the Minister of Education. We include a notice of collection statement on forms to advise you how the information collected will be used and/or disclosed, and to whom questions can be directed. 
  
  
• MFIPPA is a law that sets guidelines that we must follow when collecting, using and/or disclosing personal information. Under this Act, personal information refers to recorded information about an identifiable individual. Under the MFIPPA, personal information may be used or disclosed by KPRDSB:
• for the purpose for which it was obtained or a consistent purpose (a purpose consistent with the reason collected); 
• to board officers or employees who need access to the information in the performance of their duties, if necessary and proper, in the discharge of the Board's authorized functions;
•  to comply with legislation, a court order or subpoena or to aid in a law enforcement investigation conducted by a law enforcement agency;
• to report to the Children's Aid Society regarding child protection matters, in accordance with the law, in compelling circumstances affecting health or safety of staff or students.

Under the law, the release of personal information for any other purpose requires the informed consent of:

• the parent/caregiver for children under 16 years of age;
• the parent/caregiver and the student where the student is 16 and 17;
• the student where the student is over 18 or is 16 or 17 years of age and has withdrawn from parental control.

What Personal Information is Collected?

Information Collected at Registration

At the time of registration, the school board collects, name, address, date of birth, names and contact information of parents/cargivers and emergency contacts, relevant medical information, legal custody information (if applicable), information of growth milestones and/or educational history, etc. This information is stored in the Ontario Student Record (OSR).

School principals are required to maintain an OSR for each student attending the school. The OSR is a record of a student's educational progress through school in Ontario and follows the student when they transfer schools. The Ontario Student Record Guideline sets out how OSRs are to be managed; the Board adheres to this guideline. Parents/caregivers can access the OSR of their child at the school the child attends.

Routine Uses and/or Disclosures of Information in the School

Personal information in the student's OSR will be used by school and board staff to support the classroom teacher in developing an educational program which best meets the student's needs. Staff working with the classroom teacher, or directly with the student, may include individuals working in areas such as special education, guidance counselling, student success, etc. As students progress from elementary to secondary school, important information is shared to ease the student's transition to secondary school.

Sharing information also improves our ability to create effective programs that benefit all students. In some cases, a secondary school may share general information about a student's progress throughout secondary school with the student's previous elementary school to support continuous improvement of the elementary school program for all students. Secondary schools will send information of potential graduates (contact information, marks and transcripts) to Ontario colleges and universities to support the student's post-secondary applications.

Personal Health Information

• Student medical health information provided by parents/caregivers or adult students will be used to address the student's medical needs at school and during school activities. Medical emergency plans for students with life-threatening medical conditions will be shared with school staff, STSCO, contracted bus operators and bus drivers, and may be posted in identified areas of the school for emergency response purposes.
  
  
• Personal information such as child's name, birth date, grade, name of parents/caregivers, home address and phone numbers will be shared with the local Health Unit in accordance with the Immunization of School Pupils Act. Communicable diseases shall be reported in accordance with the Health Promotion and Protection Act and the Education Act.

Student Transportation Services of Central Ontario

• Student personal information such as home addresses, student photos, life-threatening medical emergency information, accessibility and safety needs will be shared with the Student Transportation Services of Central Ontario (STSCO) consortium, contracted bus company operators and bus drivers, for the purpose of administering the Board’s contracted bus program and for the safety of students.

Student Access to Technology 

• The Board provides students and teachers with Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Brightspace (D2L), and Edsby for educational purposes. In addition, students may use other digital tools deemed appropriate by the classroom teacher. Students receive age-appropriate instruction on digital citizenship and the safe use of technology. Use of the Internet and social media sites shall be in accordance with the Appropriate Use of Technology Agreement and posting of personal information shall be with parental consent in accordance with the KPRDSB – Information and Communications Release section of the annual student verification form.

Voluntary Self-Identification 

• Information of First Nation, Métis and Inuit students who chose to voluntarily self-identify will be used to allocate resources, improve student learning and student success, and to offer individualized supports and opportunities to students and families. KPRDSB’s Indigenous Education Advisory Committee, composed of representatives of our Indigenous communities in Peterborough and Northumberland Counties and the Municipality of Clarington, will have a key role in establishing how we use this information.
  
  
• This information will also be reported to the Ministry of Education and the Education Quality Accountability Office (EQAO). Contact your school principal for more information about voluntary self-identification.

Special Education Services 

• In keeping with the legislative requirements of the Education Act and Personal Health Information Protection Act, informed consent will be sought prior to the involvement of Mental Health, Psychological, Registered Behavioural Analysts or Speech and Language staff. The Board follows the legislative requirements of the Child and Family Services Act for students accessing mental health services with regards to informing parent(s)/caregiver(s) prior to accessing services. A statement outlining how personal health information is collected, used or disclosed in the provision of mental health, behavioural, psychological, speech and language services will be provided to parents/caregivers or students, as appropriate, when students are referred to professional services staff.

Student Photos, Video Surveillance & Media

• Contracted photographers will take individual and class photos of students. These photos will be used for administrative and archival purposes, and may be used on student cards, in school yearbooks and will be offered to parents for purchase.
  
  
• Parents/caregivers are asked annually to complete an Information and Communications Release form regarding consent to photograph a student. Students may be recorded or photographed as part of their educational program for assessment and evaluation purposes. Where consent has been provided, photos or recordings may be shared with students and parents/caregivers for the purpose of sharing and celebrating the student's life at school. In addition, students who have the appropriate permissions may be featured in school and board newsletters,  websites, or social media channels as part of the promotion of school activities and events. These may include non-sensitive information such as first names, and photos of students who have the appropriate permissions. Student names and/or photographs may also be printed in school yearbooks, school programs or brochures (commencement or graduation programs, school plays and musical productions), on student awards, honour rolls, on class assignment lists and posted throughout the school.
  
  
• The media (including online), such as newspapers, television and radio may be invited to the school to take photos of students and write articles about newsworthy events or activities including graduations, student achievements/awards, co-curricular activities, sports and current events. Students are only recorded/photographed and/or identified if they have provided consent in accordance with the Information and Communications Release Consent section of the annual student verification form, which is sent to families at the beginning of each school year for review.
  
  
• Student photos in public spaces - Consent is not typically requested for publicly accessible events. Students participating in extra-curricular activities or school events where the public is invited including graduations, student achievement/awards and sports or that take place in public places such as field trips, malls and fairs, may be photographed by the media, school community or general public. This may result in photos or recordings being posted on social media sites. The school has no control over how and where these images will be posted; however, parents/caregivers and students are asked to practice good digital citizenship by being respectful of the privacy rights of anyone they may capture in their recording and not share them in any way without the consent of the individual.
  
  
• Video Surveillance equipment may be used in schools and on buses to enhance security and protect the health, welfare and safety of students, staff, visitors and school board property. Policies and procedures have been developed in accordance with the guidelines outlined by the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario: Guidelines for the Use of Video Surveillance Equipment.

Third Party Service Providers 

• The school board contracts with third party service providers to facilitate the delivery of certain services related to student learning and school operations.  This includes service contracts for software used for consistent purposes such as the development of Individual Education Plans, online learning, course and career planning, messaging to parents, electronic purchasing, etc.  Such contracts may require the sharing of personal information.  All service contracts with third parties are subject to confidentiality agreements.

IP Address 

• When you submit a form through the Board’s website or contact the Board via email, your IP address is collected and stored, along with the information provided in the form or email.

For information related to the collection and use of information through the board website, please visit the Website Privacy Policy page.