Privacy in Schools - Office of the Privacy Commissioner

Foreword
Contents
PRIVACY
Schools rely on information about people. The moment a school
collects information about a student, or a student’s family, there may
be issues about the way the information is collected, how it is stored,
how it is used and how it is disclosed. Good information handling is a
foundation stone of the trust that needs to exist between everyone
who participates in the life of the school. Of course most schools are
attuned to the needs of their students, their family or caregivers, and
their staff, so handling information well usually comes naturally to
them. But, as with all personal relationships, situations can arise
where fi nding the ‘right’ answer is not so straightforward.
In 1995 Kathryn Dalziel wrote a book called “The Privacy Act for
Schools” to help boards of trustees, principals and teachers to
understand the privacy principles and to apply them to typical
situations in schools. The book was popular and proved very useful.
It was obvious, though, from our many calls from schools and their
advisers that there was still a strong need for practical advice about
handling personal information in schools.
However, simply reprinting the book was no longer going to address
some of the concerns that schools face. In 2009, mobile technologies
and the use of the internet (both by students and in the classroom)
have created new challenges for privacy protection. In addition there
are new systems for managing student enrolment, health records,
and immunisation programmes. Schools are telling us that they need
some help with these issues and they need it now.
So we approached Kathryn to see if she was willing to revise and
update her earlier book – “Privacy in Schools” is the result. We have
been delighted to work with her on the project and hope that you fi nd
the book useful.
Marie Shroff
Privacy Commissioner
Introduction ..........................................................................5
Important definitions ............................................................7
Privacy principles ..............................................................10
Principle 1 – only collect information that you need to have.............10
Principle 2 – get the information from the individual concerned .......13
Principle 3 – tell the individual what you are doing ...........................14
Principle 4 – use lawful, fair and reasonable methods to collect
information ..................................................................15
Principle 5 – store and transmit information securely .......................16
Principle 6 – give people access to their information .......................17
Principle 7 – dealing with incorrect personal information .................18
Principle 8 – checking for accuracy before use ...............................19
Principle 9 – retaining information for as long as necessary .............19
Principle 10 – use personal information for its purposes ..................20
Principle 11 – limits on disclosure of personal information ...............20
Principle 12 – use of personal identifi cation numbers ......................22
Relationship between the Official Information Act and
Privacy Act ..........................................................................24
Application of the privacy principles .................................26
Appointment of a privacy offi cer ......................................................26
Board meetings ..............................................................................27
Forms .............................................................................................27
Disciplinary investigations and hearings ..........................................29
Reporting to parents/guardians ......................................................30
Lawyer for child ..............................................................................31
PRIVACY
2
3