PRIVACY POLICY
INTRODUCTION
This Privacy Policy sets out how Southern Vales Christian College (the School) manages personal information provided to or collected by it.
The School is bound by the Australian Privacy Principles contained in the Commonwealth Privacy Act.
The School may, from time to time, review and update this Privacy Policy to take account of new laws and technology, changes to the School’s operations and practices and to make sure it remains appropriate to the changing School environment.
WHAT KINDS OF PERSONAL INFORMATION DOES THE SCHOOL COLLECT AND HOW DOES IT COLLECT IT?
The type of information the School collects and holds includes (but is not limited to) personal information, including health and other sensitive information, about:
Students and parents and/or guardians and caregivers (‘parents’) before, during and after the course of a student’s enrolment at the School;
Job applicants, staff members, volunteers, contractors and specialist service providers; and
Other people who come into contact with the School.
PERSONAL INFORMATION YOU PROVIDE
The School will generally collect personal information held about an individual by way of forms filled out by parents or students, face-to-face meetings and interviews, emails and telephone calls. On occasions, people other than Parents and students provide personal information.
PERSONAL INFORMATION PROVIDED BY OTHER PEOPLE
In some circumstances the School may be provided with personal information about an individual from a third party, for example a report provided by a medical professional or reference from another School.
EXCEPTION IN RELATION TO EMPLOYEE RECORDS
Under the Privacy Act, the Australian Privacy Principles do not apply to an employee record. As a result, this Privacy Policy does not apply to the School’s treatment of an employee record, where the treatment is directly related to a current or former employment relationship between the School and the employee.
HOW WILL SOUTHERN VALES CHRISTIAN COLLEGE USE THE PERSONAL INFORMATION YOU PROVIDE?
The School will use personal information it collects from you for the primary purpose of collection, and for such other secondary purposes that are related to the primary purpose of collection and reasonably expected by you, or to which you have consented.
STUDENTS AND PARENTS
In relation to personal information of students and parents, the School’s primary purpose of collection is to enable the School to provide Schooling for the student. This includes satisfying the needs of parents, the needs of the student and the needs of the School throughout the whole period the student is enrolled at the School.
The purposes for which the School uses personal information of students and parents include:
To keep parents informed about matters related to their child’s Schooling, through correspondence, newsletters and magazines;
Day to day administration of the School;
Looking after students’ educational, social and medical wellbeing;
Seeking donations and marketing for the School; and
To satisfy the School’s legal obligations and allow the School to discharge its duty of care.
In some cases where the School requests personal information about a student or parent, if information requested is not provided, the School may not be able to enrol or continue the enrolment of the student or permit the student to take part in a particular activity.
JOB APPLICANTS, STAFF MEMBERS AND CONTRACTORS
In relation to personal information of job applicants, staff members and contractors, the School’s primary purpose of collection is to assess and (if successful) to engage the applicant, staff member or contractor, as the case may be.
The purposes for which the School uses personal information of job applicants, staff members and contractors include:
In administering the individual’s employment or contract, as the case may be;
For insurance purposes;
Seeking donations and marketing for the School; and
To satisfy the School’s legal obligations, for example, in relation to child protection legislation.
VOLUNTEERS
The School also obtains personal information about volunteers who assist the School in its functions or to conduct associated activities, such as Old Scholars, extra-curricular activities, clubs or groups under the School’s authority, to enable the School and its volunteers to work together.
MARKETING, COMMUNITY RELATIONS AND FUNDRAISING
The School treats marketing, community relations and events, and seeking donations for the future growth and development of the School, or for community and overseas service, as an important part of ensuring the School continues to provide a quality learning environment in which both students and staff thrive, and to meet the School’s Vision and Mission. Personal information held by the School may be disclosed to organisations that assist in the School’s fundraising and community relations, for example, the School’s fundraising or Old Scholars organisations.
Parents, staff contractors and other members of the wider School community may from time to time receive fundraising information. School publications, like newsletters, annual reports and year books, which include personal information, may be for marketing purposes.
WHO MIGHT THE SCHOOL DISCLOSE INFORMATION TO?
The School may disclose personal information, including sensitive information held about an individual to:
Another School;
Government departments;
Medical practitioners;
People providing services to the School, including specialist visiting teachers, counsellors and sports
coaches;
Recipients of School publications, such as newsletters, annual reports and year books;
Parents;
Anyone you authorise the School to disclose information to: and
Anyone to whom we are required to disclose information to by law.
SENDING INFORMATION OVERSEAS
The School may disclose personal information about an individual to overseas recipients, for instance, when storing personal information with ‘cloud’ service providers which are situated outside Australia or to facilitate a School exchange or mission or cultural trip. However, the School will not send personal information about an individual outside Australia without:
Obtaining the consent of the individual (in some cases this consent will be implied); or
Otherwise complying with the Australian Privacy Principles or other applicable privacy legislation.
HOW DOES THE SCHOOL TREAT SENSITIVE INFORMATION?
In referring to ‘sensitive information’, the School means: information relating to a person’s racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religion, trade union or other professional or trade association membership, philosophical beliefs, sexual orientation or practices or criminal record, that is also personal information; health information and biometric information about an individual.
Sensitive information will be used and disclosed only for the purpose for which it was provided or a directly related secondary purpose, unless you agree otherwise, or the use of disclosure of the sensitive information is allowed by law.
MANAGEMENT AND SECURITY OF PERSONAL INFORMATION
The School’s staff are required to respect the confidentiality of students’ and parents’ personal information and the privacy of individuals.
The School has in place steps to protect the personal information the School holds from misuse, interference and loss, unauthorised process, modification or disclosure by use of various methods including locked storage of paper records and password access rights to computerised records.
ACCESS AND CORRECTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION
Under the Privacy Act, an individual has the right to obtain access to a personal information which the School holds about them and to advise the School of any perceived inaccuracy. Students will generally be able to access and update their personal information through their parents, but older students may seek access and correction themselves.
There are exceptions to these rights set out in the applicable legislation.
To make a request to access or update any personal information the School holds about a parent or student, contact should be made with the Privacy Officer in writing. The School may require you to verify your identity and specify what information you require. The School may charge a fee to cover the cost of verifying your application and locating, retrieving, reviewing and copying any material requested. If the information sought is extensive, the School will advise the likely cost in advance. If the School cannot provide you with access to that information, we will provide you with written notice explaining the reasons for the refusal.
CONSENTS AND RIGHT OF ACCESS TO THE PERSONAL INFORMATION OF STUDENTS
The School respects every parent’s right to make decisions regarding their child’s education.
Generally, the School will refer any requests for consent and notices in relation to the personal information of a student to the student’s parents. The School will treat the consent given by parents as consent given on behalf of the student, and notice to parents will act as notice given to the student.
As mentioned above, parents may seek access to personal information held by the School about them or their child by contacting the Privacy Officer. However, there will be occasions when access is denied. Such occasions would include where release of the information would have an unreasonable impact on the privacy of others, or where the release may result in a breach of the School’s duty of care to the student.
The School may, at its discretion, on the request of a student grant that student access to information held by the School about them, or allow a pupil to give or withhold consent to the use of their personal information, independently of their parents. This would normally be done only when the maturity of the student and/or the student’s personal circumstances so warranted.
ENQUIRIES AND COMPLAINTS
If you would like further information about the way the School manages the personal information it holds, or wish to complain that you believe that the School has breached the Australian Privacy Principles, please contact the Privacy Officer. The School will investigate any complaint and will notify you of the making of a decision in relation to your complaint as soon as is practicable after it has been made.
REFERENCES
Privacy Act 1988 (Cwlth)
Australian Privacy Principles
Privacy Compliance Manual, September 2013, Independent Schools Council of Australia and National Catholic
Education Commission