STUDENT ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION POLICY
Internet, Intranet/LMS &E-mail
1. Purpose of the Policy
The purpose of this policy is to assist in preserving the integrity of the computer systems and information of the School and to provide guidelines for the use of the Electronic Communication Systems by students of St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School. The Electronic Communication Systems includes, but is not limited to, all Internet and e-mail activities and/or communications (and all related applications and Electronic Communication Systems).
This policy is to be read in conjunction with other statements and policies of the School, such as the Social Media, Mobile Electronic Devices, Bullying and Harassment and Student Use of Electronic Mobile Devices Policies and may be amended from time to time.
2. Policy Guidelines
The School provides access to the Electronic Communication Systems for the purpose of school-related work. The School may log, store and access the contents of e-mails and records of Internet browsing activities by all students and reserves all rights of access to this data. As such, students should not expect any communications on the Electronic Communication Systems to be private. Browsing of, and access to, the Electronic Communication Systems will be monitored from time to time by the School as deemed appropriate.
This policy has been introduced because the improper use of the School’s Internet and e -mail system may:
• threaten the security or integrity of the School’s information technology systems;
• affect the privacy and wellbeing of other students; and
• result in legal liability for the School and/or its employees.
3. Authorised Use
Student use of the School's electronic communication resources for legitimate school-related purposes is authorised with the issuing of an account. Students will be instructed in relation to passwords and access details. These passwords and access details must not be changed unless at the express direction of Information Technology Services.
Students are responsible for maintaining the security of their accounts and their passwords.
4. General Use
Students must only access the Electronic Communication Systems for purposes of individual research. Students must not access the Electronic Communication Systems for purposes unrelated to the Schoo l curriculum unless given express permission by School staff.
Students must not:
interfere with the normal operation of the Electronic Communication Systems, including propagating computer viruses and sustained high volume network traffic which substantially hinders others in their use of the Electronic Communication Systems;
|
|
|
examine, change or use another person's files, output, or user name without explicit authorisation; |
|
|
use another person's username and password without that person's consent; |
|
|
5. |
|
disclose passwords to persons other than authorised representatives of the School.
Internet and Intranet Use |
Students are provided with access to the Internet and intranet for appropriate school-related purposes. In
using the Internet and intranet, students must not:
|
|
|
visit Internet or intranet sites, or transfer data from these to their hard drive or USBs, that contain, or receive, send or download any material that is offensive, obscene, pornographic, racist, sexist or |
|
|
defamatory, or which is intended to annoy, harass or intimidate another person; |
|
|
|
make or post on the Internet or intranet indecent remarks, proposals or materials; upload, download or otherwise transmit commercial software or any copyrighted materials belonging to parties outside of the School; |
|
|
|
subscribe to excessive or inappropriate List servers and Mail Groups. |
|
|
6. |
|
E-mail Use |
E-mail should be relevant and sent where it is considered to be the best form of communication. Students should limit their use of e-mail during class to the sole purpose of communications directly related to the subject being studied in that class. During non-class time, students must limit their use of e-mail to school- related activities.
Students may only use e-mail to communicate about matters not related to the curriculum if they have the express permission of the appropriate Head of School.
Prior to sending any e-mail, students should consider the likely format of the e-mail when received (e.g. phrasing, type-facing etc.), the content of the e-mail, and alternative and perhaps more effective forms of communication.
In composing e-mails students should:
write well-structured e-mails and use short, descriptive subjects;
use clear headings and appropriate salutations;
use appropriate language and ensure that the content, form, grammar and spelling of all e-mail messages meet the professional business standards required by the School prior to transmission;
only send e-mails of which the content could be displayed on a public notice board. If they cannot be displayed publicly in their current state, consider rephrasing the e-mail, using other means of communication, or protecting information by using a password; and
only send attachments where necessary and appropriate.
Students must not:
send unsolicited e-mail messages, except for proper school-related purposes;
send chain letters with or without attachments;
forge or attempt to forge e-mail messages;
disguise or attempt to disguise identity when sending an e-mail message;
send e-mail messages using another person’s e-mail account while claiming to be that person;
copy a message or attachment belonging to another user without permission from the originator;
write e-mails in capitals;
encrypt e-mails without written permission from management; or
use e-mail as a filing system.
9. Privacy
Students expressly waive any right of privacy in anything they create, store, send or receive on the Electronic Communication Systems or any electronic device the student chooses to bring to School.
10. Prohibited Use of the Electronic Communication Systems
Prohibited uses of the Electronic Communication Systems include any conduct that: (a) Violates or infringes the rights of any other person, including the right to privacy;
(b) Contains real or potentially defamatory, false, inaccurate, abusive, obscene, violent, pornographic, profane, sexually-explicit, sexually-oriented, threatening, racially-offensive or otherwise biased, discriminatory or illegal or any other inappropriate material;
(c) Has instructions on the manufacture and/or use of illegal and/or dangerous products, substances or materials or any other illegal or subversive activity;
(d) Breaches any other School policy, including prohibitions against harassment of any kind; (e) Accesses intellectual property in a way that breaches intellectual property rights;
(f) Attempts or succeeds in obtaining unauthorised access to Electronic Communication Systems, attempts to breach any security measures on any such system, attempts to intercept any electronic transmissions without proper authorisation, or unauthorised use of a password/mailbox, including constructing electronic communication so that the communication appears to be from another person/organisation;
(g) Fails to use the system as prescribed, thus permitting infection by computer virus or deliberate infection by computer virus;
(h) Propagates chain e-mails or forwarding messages to groups or lists without the consent of the user; (i) Results in unauthorised external access to the Electronic Communication Systems; or
(j) Offends or potentially offends the ethos, principles and/or foundations of the School.
The consequences of engaging in inappropriate use of the Electronic Communication Systems will vary according to the seriousness of the breach including but not limited to cancellation of enrolment.
Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy sets out how St Paul’s Anglican Grammar 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. In relation to health records, the School is also bound by the Victorian Health Privacy Principles which are contained in the Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002 (Health Records 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 the School 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 ('Parents') before, during and after the course of a student’s enrolment at the School;
• job applicants, staff members, volunteers and contractors; 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 a reference from another school.
Exception in relation to employee records:
Under the Privacy Act and the Victorian Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002,the Australian Privacy Principles and Health 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 employee.
How will the School 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 primary purpose of the School’s 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 the 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:
• 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 conduct associated activities, such as the Alumni Association, to enable the School and the volunteers to work together.
Marketing and fundraising:
The School treats marketing and seeking donations for the future growth and development of the School as an important part of ensuring that the School continues to provide a quality learning environment in which both students and staff thrive. Personal information held by the School may be disclosed to organisations that assist in the School's fundraising, for example, the School's Foundation or Alumni Association or, on occasions, external fundraising organisations. Parents, staff, contractors and other members of the wider School community may from time to time receive fundraising information. School publications, like newsletters and magazines, which include personal information, may be used for marketing purposes.
Who might the School disclose personal 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 and magazines;
• Parents;
• anyone you authorise the School to disclose information to; and
• anyone to whom we are required to disclose the information 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. 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, and 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 or 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 access, 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 Commonwealth Privacy Act and the Health Records Act, an individual has the right to obtain access to any 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 some exceptions to these rights set out in the applicable legislation. To make a request to access any personal information the School holds about you or your child, please contact the School Principal 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 we cannot provide you with access to that information, we will provide you with written notice explaining the reasons for refusal.
Consent and rights of access to the personal information of students
The School respects every Parent's right to make decisions concerning 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 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 School Principal. 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 student 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 School Principal. 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.