What information is being collected?

• To allow notifications and updates to parents, students and staff (including emergency and safety-related messages via the SchoolMessenger Communicate platform), the following types of personal information are collected:

  • Parent/Guardian and school staff contact information such as names, language preferences and contact data (e.g. phone number, email address, and login ID);

  • Student information such as name, grade, school, as well as attendance and class schedule.

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Who is it being shared with?

• The information to create accounts and notifications/messages are stored on the secure servers of SchoolMessenger located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

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For what purpose?

• The SchoolMessenger application increases student safety by greatly reducing the time it takes to report students that are unaccounted for, as well as provides the district in the case of an emergency the ability to communicate with all families through multiple modes of communication in a matter of minutes.

 

What else do I need to know?

• The SchoolMessenger application is a condition of service for Central Okanagan Public Schools as it supports essential communication, as well as the safety of students.  

• Parents/Guardians can opt out of receiving non-emergency related school communication.
  Parents/Guardians can report absences within SchoolMessenger by phone, via the web portal, or using SchoolMessenger’s smartphone application.

• SchoolMessenger complies with the Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) by maintaining subscription lists and filtering out appropriate messages from parents that have chosen to opt-out (note: emergency messages are sent to all users).

• SchoolMessenger collects, maintains and uses personal information in compliance with applicable laws in Canada, including the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA).

• SchoolMessenger will not use or share personal information with anyone except to deliver our services, comply with the law, protect our rights or the safety of our users, or as otherwise directed by our customers and users.

• SchoolMessenger does not sell, trade, lease or loan parent or student personal information to any third party for any reason, including for marketing or advertising; and they use industry standard measures to help protect personal information against unauthorized access and use.