The Limestone District School Board collects, uses, and shares personal information from and about individuals in the course of providing educational services, administering programs and communicating with families. The board is diligent in managing personal information. We are guided by the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA), and the Education Act.
The Education Act sets out duties and powers of the district school board and authorizes the district to collect personal information to plan and deliver educational programs and services. We are required by law to report some information to the Minister of Education.
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 the LDSB:
- 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 Family & Children's Services 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/guardian for children under 16 years of age;
- the parent/guardian 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- the student where the student is over 18 or is 16 or 17 years of age and has withdrawn from parental control.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 time of student registration: At the time of student registration, the school district may collect, name, address, date of birth, names and contact information of parents/guardians and emergency contacts, relevant medical information, information of growth milestones and/or educational history, etc. This information is stored in the Ontario Student Record. School principals are required to maintain an Ontario Student Record (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.
Additional information may be collected for the following reasons: