The Education Act authorizes the YRDSB to collect and use personal information to deliver educational services and programs and to administer our operations. At times, we will use third-party service providers who provide digital tools to deliver educational services and programs to students and families and to administer our operations in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
In this notice, “personal information” has the same meaning as personal information in section 2(1) of the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and means recorded information about an identifiable individual, but does not include anonymized information.
Digital tools can include software, applications, web services, browser extensions, and other web-based products and services. Digital tools in educational settings can offer multiple benefits. They can be used to help enable personalized, flexible learning; expand access to resources; boost engagement; support collaboration and inclusivity; and help prepare students for a digital future. For example:
- teachers will use digital tools in the classroom to assist with instruction, gather evidence of learning, take attendance, and document student achievements
- students will use digital tools to access resources, collaborate with peers, and submit coursework
- digital tools or platforms are provided to parents and guardians to support family engagement, communicate with teachers, and report absences
- YRDSB staff will use digital tools to manage data efficiently and to support operational requirements such as managing student transportation and reporting requirements to the Ministry of Education.
Digital tools used by the YRDSB generally falls into the categories in the table below. The table also describes the purpose of the digital tool and the student personal information that may be involved.
Category | Purpose | Student Information That May be Involved |
|---|---|---|
Assessment and Evaluation Tools | To administer assessments, track progress, and record evaluation results. |
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Communication and Collaboration Tools | To facilitate communication and collaboration between students, staff, parents and guardians. |
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Instructional and Learning Management Tools | To deliver classroom learning and instructions, assign and collect student coursework, manage classroom activities, distribute materials, and support classroom engagement. |
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Learning and Educational Tools | To support student learning, such as reading and writing programs, math literacy programs, word processing and presentation tools, coding programs, music and media creation software, digital libraries, and other tools to support student content creation, collaboration, organization, critical thinking, and learning opportunities. |
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Student Information Management and Administrative Tools | To administer our operations such as student registration, classroom placement, student transportation, safe arrival, developing and managing individual education plans, Ministry reporting, and other legal requirements. |
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Protecting Personal Information
We strive to employ safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the specific information in order to protect against loss or theft, as well as unauthorized collection, access, use or disclosure. When we use third-party service providers to handle personal information, we ensure it is protected through contractual requirements, information security measures, privacy impact and cyber security assessments, and/or other administrative, technical and physical safeguards where possible and appropriate. Safeguards can include but are not limited to:
- policies and procedures setting out roles and responsibilities for the security and protection of personal information and appropriate use of technology
- guidance for staff about when and how they can use digital tools in the classroom
- limiting access to personal information to only those staff that require it for their job duties
- monitoring for unauthorized access to personal information
- using pseudonyms or anonymous user accounts for classroom activities
- disabling features or functionalities within platforms that are not required
- minimizing personal information collected by a digital tool.
Disclosing Personal Information
We will only disclose personal information for the reason it was collected or for a consistent purpose that is necessary and proper in our efforts to provide educational services and programs and to administer our operations.
In some cases, we may disclose personal information to a third-party service provider that is acting as our agent. They may be engaged to collect, use and/or retain personal information on our behalf. These third-party service providers are providing us with services to fulfil our mandate and in a manner that meets our legal responsibilities and policy requirements. When personal information is disclosed to a third-party service provider, the YRDSB retains ownership and control of the personal information. These third-party service providers are only permitted to collect, use, and retain the personal information to provide services for the YRDSB under our direction.
Questions or Concerns
For parents, guardians, and students 16 years of age and older, you can raise questions or concerns regarding the use of a particular digital tool used in the classroom by contacting your or your child’s teacher.
For other questions and concerns or if you believe that your or your child’s personal information has been improperly collected, used, retained or disclosed, please contact your child’s school administrator or the Principal, Curriculum and Instructional Services at dlteam@yrdsb.ca, 905-727-3141, or 300 Harry Walker Pkwy S, Newmarket, ON L3Y 8E2.
For more information about how and why we collect and handle student personal information, please visit our Privacy Notice.