PRIVACY, ACCESS AND FREEDOM OF INFORMATION
​
WEBSITE PRIVACY STATEMENT
The Niagara Catholic District School Board respects the privacy of its Web visitors. The only personal identifying information collected from use of the Niagara Catholic District School Board websites is from a website visitor voluntarily submitting comments, suggestions, questions through a feedback form, an email, subscription to an email service or the setup of a user account to access secure areas of the website.
​
The submission of such information is deemed to be consent for the Niagara Catholic District School Board to collect, use, retain and disclose such information, including personal information, as appropriate and consistent with its duties pursuant to the Education Act and Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
​
The Niagara Catholic District School Board will not sell, rent, or release personal information to third parties.
​
PRIVACY NOTICE
(Collection, Use and Disclosure of Personal Information)
​
The Niagara Catholic District School Board (Board) recognizes the importance of establishing and maintaining a privacy sensitive culture in its schools and administrative facilities. The Board collects personal information to support the provision of educational services to its students and/or for the employment of Board staff. Personal information will not be used or disclosed for purposes other than those for which it was collected except with the consent of the individual or as required by law. All Board staff, Trustees, volunteers and others with access to information, regardless of media, physical form or characteristics, are responsible for the protection of personal, confidential and sensitive information entrusted to them.
​
Please read the Board’s Notice of the Collection, Use and Disclosure of Student Personal Information to learn how we routinely use personal information.
The management of personal information collected by the Board is in accordance with the provisions of the Education Act, the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA), and the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA).
​
The Education Act sets out the duties and powers of the board and authorizes school boards to collect personal information for the purpose of planning and delivering educational programs and services which best meet students’ needs and for reporting to the Ministry of Education.
​
The Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA) is the law that sets regulations that schools and school boards must follow when collecting, using and/or disclosing an individuals’ personal information, which is any recorded information about an identifiable individual, either student, parent or employee. The Act requires that parents/guardians and students be informed about how their personal information is used, disclosed, and maintained.
​
The Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA), balances individuals’ right to privacy with respect to their own personal health information with the legitimate needs of persons and organizations who provide health care services to access and share this information. PHIPA sets out the regulations for the collection, use and disclosure of personal health information which apply to all “Health Information Custodians” operating within Ontario and to individuals and organizations who receive personal health information from those authorized to collect and use it.
​
Parents/guardians and staff are responsible for providing the Board with accurate up-to-date personal information.
​
Niagara Catholic’s objective is to ensure that its practices and procedures provide the highest level of privacy protection to personal information. In order to achieve this goal, the Board has adopted the following Policies/ Procedures/Documents:
-
Notice of the Collection, Use and Disclosure of Student Personal Information
-
Records and Information Management Classification & Retention System
​
ACCESS AND FREEDOM OF INFORMATION
A Freedom of Information (FOI) request is a request for access to information under MFIPPA that is in the custody or control of the Board.
​
FOI requests are for:
-
Access to general records
-
Access to own personal information
-
Correction to personal information
If you are interested in accessing information, please refer to our Freedom of Information Request Procedure.
​
Requests are made using the FOI Request for Information Form .
​
Forms may be submitted in person or by mail to:
Coordinator of Information Management/Privacy and Freedom of Information
427 Rice Road
Welland, Ontario, L3C 7C1
289-948-8717
​
Costs
There is a mandatory $5.00 application fee that must be paid when submitting a Freedom of Information request. Please be advised the $5.00 application fee cannot be waived and is non-refundable.
​
Additional fees for searching, photocopying, severing, etc. may apply as outlined in Section 45 of the Act.
​
Time Frame
The Board responds to a request within 30 days of receiving the form and application fee. Requests requiring an extensive search, a large number of records, and/or consultation with an external third party may require an extension to the 30 days. If an extension is required you will be notified as outlined in Section 20 of the Act.
​
For more information, email Privacy Office or call 289-948-8717.
Additional information about access to information may be obtained by visiting the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario.
​
Records Management
The retention and disposition of personal information is in accordance with the Board’s comprehensive records management system Board’s Records and Information Management Classification & Retention System.
​
TRANSLATION DISCLAIMER
The Niagara Catholic District school Board's International Education Division's website has been translated for your convenience using translation software powered by third party services, such as Google Translate. Reasonable efforts have been made to provide an accurate translation, however, no automated translation is perfect nor is it intended to replace human translators. Translations are provided as a service to users of the Niagara Catholic District school Board's International Education Division's website, and are provided "as is." No warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, is made as to the accuracy, reliability, or correctness of any translations made from English (Canadian) into any other language. Some content (such as images, videos, Flash, etc.) may not be accurately translated due to the limitations of the translation software.