Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIP)

Privacy & Security Statement

As a local public body, Elk Island Public Schools (EIPS) is subject to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIP) Act. EIPS respects your privacy and is committed to protecting the personal information you share with us.

The FOIP Act is designed to ensure that:
EIPS provides the public with access to information while protecting individual (personal) privacy.

The Five Basic Principles of FOIP are:

The public has a right to access records held by EIPS, subject to some exceptions.
EIPS must collect, use, protect, and disclose personal information in accordance with the FOIP Act.
You have the right to access information about yourself, subject to some exceptions.
You have the right to request a correction to your personal information if it is not accurate.
You have the right to an independent review of the decisions made by EIPS under the FOIP Act.

Accessing Records
EIPS has always made information available to students, parents/guardians, employees, and the public. Most information can be obtained outside of the FOIP Act by asking the school or department in charge directly.

The FOIP Act is complementary to and does not replace existing procedures for obtaining information held by EIPS. However, any routine disclosure of personal information by EIPS must comply with the FOIP Act.

Documents Already Available
The Four-Year Education Plan, Annual Education Results Report (AERR), budget, audited financial statement, minutes of Board of Trustees meetings, policies, administrative procedures, and provincial achievement test (PAT) and diploma exam results are all examples of public documents.

These documents and other division information are available on the website and in our reading area at:
Elk Island Public Schools
683 Wye Road, Sherwood Park, Alberta
Call 780-464-3477 (EIPS) for information about the hours the reading area is open.
School-level information is available at each school.

Collecting and using personal information
When we collect information about you, we will explain how we intend to use it. We will limit the information we collect to what we need for those purposes, and we will use it only for those purposes. We will obtain your consent if we wish to use your information for any other purpose that is not consistent with the purpose for which it was originally collected.

If you choose to provide us with personal information in an email or by filling out a form and submitting it to us through our website, we will use that information to respond to your message and to help us get the information you have requested.

Protection of Privacy
You have the right to privacy. Your personal information includes such things as your name, address, age, gender, educational history, and student or employee ID number.

All the personal information provided to EIPS, whether on a student registration form or in another format, is considered private, is treated with confidentiality, and is kept secure. Only the staff who require the information to do their job will have access to your personal information. In circumstances defined by the FOIP Act, EIPS may be obligated to provide personal information to another organization.

The last page of the Registration and Student Information Form explains and addresses how the personal information you provide will be used in EIPS to continue numerous activities that support student learning. This information should be read carefully by the parent/guardian at the time of registration.

Administrative Procedure 180: Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy governs the administration of the FOIP Act in EIPS.

Using our Website
EIPS does not share or disclose our website visitors' email addresses, nor any other information submitted by a user when accessing our website, with any third parties. Our privacy practice is strictly to protect online information in the same manner in which we protect our member's personal information obtained through other means.

Our web servers automatically recognize domain names when an individual visits our website. This information may be aggregated and used to measure statistics regarding the use of our site, such as the number of visitors, average time spent on the site, pages viewed, and similar information. Likewise, this information is not distributed to or shared with third parties.

We may use the information we gather for our own internal purposes. Our goal in collecting personal information online is to continually improve the content of our website.

Releasing your Information
We will only release your personal information to third parties in limited circumstances authorized under section 17(2) and 40 of the FOIP Act. Some of these circumstances are:

where we have your written consent, or
to those departments within EIPS who assist us in serving you, or
where we are required or permitted by law to do so.

We give a limited amount of information, only as necessary, in support of these limited circumstances.

The Right to Review your Personal Information
We will give you access to the information we retain about you upon written request. If you require other information, simply contact the appropriate school or department. We will ask you specific details such as your name and address in order to assist with your request.

Keeping Personal Information Accurate
We make every reasonable effort to keep your personal information accurate and up to date. You can help by keeping us informed of any changes: for example, if you have a new address or telephone number. If you find any errors in the personal information we hold about you, please let us know so we can correct the errors immediately.

Making a FOIP Request
Please contact the school or department directly to request information before making a formal FOIP request. A FOIP request is considered the last alternative in the acquisition of information.

If the requested information is withheld and the explanation for why it is being withheld is unsatisfactory, a request can be made under the FOIP Act.

FOIP requests are made in writing to the FOIP Co-ordinator. The Request to Access Information form is available from the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner.

An applicant has the right to formally request information or escalate the complaint to the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (OIPC). An individual may contact the OIPC with questions or concerns at any time, either prior to or during the process.

Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (Edmonton)
# 410, 9925 - 109 Street
Edmonton, Alberta T5K 2J8
Phone: 780-422-6860
Toll Free: 1-888-878-4044
Fax: 780-422-5682
Email: generalinfo@oipc.ab.ca

Please note the Information and Privacy Commissioner does not accept requests for review or complaints via email at this time.

Who Can Answer Questions about Privacy
To discuss any privacy concerns not addressed in this privacy and security statement, contact our FOIP Co-ordinator.
683 Wye Road
Sherwood Park, Alberta, T8B 1N2
Telephone: 780-464-3477
Fax: 780-417-8181