Privacy Policy

Privacy Notice

Durham Catholic District School Board (DCDSB) is committed to protecting the privacy and personal information of students, parents/guardians, staff, and community members.

DCDSB’s website may contain links to external sites for convenience. DCDSB is not responsible for the content, privacy practices, or any information provided on websites outside DCDSB’s domain. You are encouraged to review the privac

What is Personal Information?

The Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA) defines personal information as recorded information about an identifiable individual. It includes information such as name, address, and phone number.

Other examples include student’s Ontario Education Number (OEN), health info, academic records, Ontario Student Record (OSR) contents, etc.

Collection of Personal Information

Personal information is collected under the authority of the Education Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. E.2, and in accordance with the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA).

DCDSB collects personal information for the purposes of:

  • Administering educational programs and student services
  • Supporting student learning and well-being
  • Ensuring the safety and security of students and staff
  • Managing school operations and human resources
  • Meeting legal and regulatory requirements

Most student information is collected during registration or through ongoing interactions with DCDSB. This includes:

Registration & Biographical Information

  • Name, address, date of birth, student number
  • Family details (e.g., parent/guardian name), place of birth, gender
  • Residency or citizenship status
  • Documents to verify registration details
  • Custody orders or other legal documents relevant to education 

Academic & Performance Information

  • Marks, assessments, test results, report cards
  • Notes and reports from teachers and staff

Support & Accommodation Needs

  • Educational: Learning abilities, disabilities, languages spoken
  • Health: Medical conditions, injuries, medications
  • Mental Health: Information from psychologists, social workers, counsellors
  • Accessibility: Transportation or facility access needs 

Voluntary Identity Information

  • Gender, race, ethnicity, religion (only collected through voluntary surveys)
  • Images and recordings
  • Photos for ID cards, yearbooks, or program documentation (with consent)
  • Audio recordings in online learning environments

Adult Learning Programs

  • Payment information (e.g., credit card details) for fee processing

Collected primarily through registration, communication, or participation in DCDSB programs:

Contact & Registration Information

  • Name, address, phone number, email
  • Custody, residency, or citizenship details

Interactions & Communications

  • Emails, inquiries, parent-teacher interviews, feedback
  • Credit card or other payment details for services or programs if provided by parent/guardian/public

Student Work Products

  • Information about family members may appear in student assignments (e.g., journals, essays, artwork)

In specific cases, DCDSB may receive personal information from:

Educational Partners

  • Private schools, other school boards, Ministry of Education (e.g., student transfers)

DCDSB Servers

  • DCDSB servers automatically collect limited standard information for traffic monitoring and statistical purposes. This data is used to analyze operational trends and improve site performance. It does not identify individual users, and DCDSB makes no attempt to link it to personal identities. 

Employment & Volunteer Applications

  • Background, reference, and criminal background checks

Security cameras are in use on DCDSB school sites, vehicles, and other properties. Cameras are used to:

  • Promote the safety of students, staff, and visitors
  • Deter and investigate theft, vandalism, and other crimes
  • Identify unauthorized individuals and review school-related incidents

Use and Disclosure of Personal Information

Personal information collected by DCDSB will be used only for the purposes for which it was collected or for a consistent purpose, as permitted under MFIPPA. This may include:

  • Sharing with the Ministry of Education for reporting and funding purposes
  • Providing information to public health authorities under the Health Protection and Promotion Act
  • Disclosing to law enforcement or child protection agencies where required by law
  • Sharing with service providers under contract who support educational or operational functions, provided appropriate privacy safeguards are in place (e.g., Edsby for report card access and booking parent-teacher interviews, D2L, and Wayground)

DCDSB does not disclose personal information to third parties for commercial purposes.

Authority for Collection, Use and Disclosure

The authority for the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information includes:

  • Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA) governs collection, use, disclosure, and retention of personal information.
  • Education Act authorizes collection of student data and governs Ontario Student Records (OSRs).
  • Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) applies to health-related data collected by school professionals.
  • Other relevant legislation: Child, Youth and Family Services Act, Occupational Health and Safety Act.

Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA)

Personal Health Information (PHI) is information that is gathered through observation, conversation, examination, assessment, treatment, etc. that pertains to an individual's physical or mental health.

In a school board setting, this could include information about a student's intellectual ability, mental health, cognitive and language skills, behaviour, and emotional functioning. 

At DCDSB, we have professional staff to help identify and support the needs of students. These staff include: registered psychologists, psychological associates, speech-language pathologists, social workers, and behaviour analysts (Professional Services Staff). All Professional Services Staff must meet the requirements set by the provincial Regulated Health Professions Act, as we well as the standards set by their regulatory colleges.

An individual's consent is required for the collection, use, and disclosure of his or her Personal Health Information and any information that is required for the provision of the service.

A capable individual, regardless of age, can consent to the collection, use and disclosure of their own PHI. Anyone who has the ability to understand the information that is relevant to deciding whether to consent, and has the ability to appreciate the consequences of that decision, may provide consent. Where a person is deemed not capable of giving consent, a substitute decision maker will be required to provide consent. 

Professional Services Staff may collect information without your consent if there is an urgent or emergency situation, when the information is required to prevent possible harm.

PHI may be required to be collected to provide services to the students and the educators who work with them, which, in turn, will assist the student with their educational programs and/or services to best meet the student's needs. 

The information collected may be shared with other DCDSB staff who are working directly with or have responsibility for the student (e.g., school principal, vice principal, classroom teacher(s), special education and guidance staff, other Student Services staff). The information will also be made available to the parent/guardian of the student, and the student when appropriate. Only with written consent of the parent/guardian (and the student, if appropriate) will the information also be disclosed to anyone outside of the board (for example, a physician, a community agency, etc.)

There are some exceptions to this, including:

  • If the person collecting the information has reason to suspect that the child is in need of protection, this information must be reported to the Children's Aid Society
  • Where there is evidence that the student may be at serious risk of harming themselves or others
  • Where it is learned that a student may have been sexually abused by a member of regulated health profession
  • Where records are ordered to be produced as required by law
  • If the regulatory college of the staff member requests a review of records to ensure that the professional is meeting all standards and requirements

The Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA, 2004) applies to professional services staff, and to those who work under their supervision. PHIPA outlines the rules that must be followed for collecting, using, sharing, and disclosing personal health information

The PHI will be stored under locked, secure conditions at the DCDSB office and/or Board assigned storage areas where the parent has consented, in the OSR. In the case of electronic files, the DCDSB has organizational  and technological safeguards and procedures to protect PHI and other personal information against theft, loss, unauthorized access, copying, modification, use, disclosure and disposal of records.

The PHI collected about a student will be kept for a minimum of 10 years from the last date of contact with the student, or until the student is 28 years of age, whichever of these two events occurs later. Information will be kept permanently, if required under other statutes. At that time, the material will be shredded and/or the electronic information will be expunged.

PHI retained by Student Services staff is accessible only to Student Service staff members, and others only if consent has been granted. If your own or your child's PHI has been accessed by an unauthorized person, stolen, lost or if there is a privacy breach, you will be notified. The information kept in a student's Ontario Student Record at their school may contain a copy of any report produced by Student Services staff, and is accessible to the student about whom the report is written (if the student is over the age of 18), the parent or guardian of the student, and the school staff members who are directly involved in the education of that student.

The request to access your own information or that of your child is made to the Board's Privacy Office at 905-576-6150 x 22223 or foi@dcdsb.ca.

There is some information that is exempt from right to access. Raw data from psychological and speech-language assessments will not be shared. Instead, results and conclusions from the raw data will be reported. Additionally, information will not be shared if releasing it could cause risk of significant harm to the student or to others. Finally, if a student's record includes PHI about another person, that individual's information will be removed prior to sharing.

All reasonable attempts will be made to ensure that the information collected about you or your child is accurate. If, however, you disagree with the accuracy of the information, you may request a correction to the record through the Board's Privacy Office. The request must be made in writing using the Request to Change Personal Health Information form available on the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario website: https://www.ipc.on.ca/guidance-documents/forms.

Where it is demonstrated that a record is incomplete or inaccurate for the purposes for which the staff member uses the record, it will be amended to be factually correct. However, staff are not required to change a professional opinion or observation made in good faith, a record that was not originally created by the member or where the staff member has insufficient knowledge or authority to make the correction. If the request to correct a record is refused, the individual making the request will be informed of the refusal, be provided reasons, and informed of the right to appeal the refusal and right to attach a statement of disagreement to the original record.

If you are dissatisfied with the decision regarding the collection, use, or disclosure of your PHI, your access to it, or your request to have incorrect information corrected, an appeal can be made to: Durham Catholic District School Board's Privacy Office at 905-576-6150 x 22223 or by mail:

Durham Catholic District School Board
650 Rossland Road West
Oshawa, ON  L1J 7C4
Attention: Privacy Office

An appeal may also be made to the Ontario Government's Information and Privacy Commissioner who may investigate at 416-326-3333 or commissioner@ipc.on.ca. 

Safeguarding Your Information

The Board takes reasonable steps to protect personal information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. This includes:

  • Secure storage and access controls
  • Staff training on privacy obligations
  • Privacy Impact Assessments for new programs or technologies
  • Protocols for Privacy Breaches

Consent for Collection, Use, and Disclosure of Personal Information

DCDSB obtains consent before collecting, using, or sharing personal information, unless authorized or required by law (e.g., under the Education Act or the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act).

Consent may be:

  • Express, such as signing a consent form
  • Implied, such as providing information during program registration

Consent may come directly from the student or from a parent/guardian, depending on the student’s age and ability to understand the decision. In some cases, it may be provided by an authorized representative (e.g., power of attorney).

You or your child may refuse or withdraw consent at any time, unless restricted by law or contract. However, doing so may limit access to certain programs or services.

In specific situations, DCDSB may collect, use, or disclose personal information without consent, as permitted or required by law.

If you prefer not to use the Internet to provide personal information, you may contact us by telephone, fax, email, or in person (not all options will be available in every situation).

Access or Correction

Individuals have the right to access their own personal information and general records. However, access to information about others is not permitted.

Students/parents/guardians can request access to personal information held by the school by contacting the principal. If you are legally entitled to the information, the principal will provide it.

If you believe your personal information is inaccurate or incomplete, you may request a correction by contacting your school. If the correction cannot be agreed upon, DCDSB will add a note to your record to reflect the disagreement.

In some cases, staff may ask that access or correction requests be submitted in writing or that you provide additional information to confirm your identity.

For requests that go beyond personal information or involve complex, broad, or sensitive issues, please visit our Freedom of Information Requests page to learn more.

Freedom of Information (FOI)

Visit our Freedom of information webpage for details on how to make an FOI request.

Questions or Concerns?

If you have any questions about the collection, use, or disclosure of personal information, please contact:

DCDSB Privacy Office
650 Rossland Road West
Oshawa, ON  L1J 7W4

Phone: 905-576-6150 x 22223
Email:  foi@dcdsb.ca

If the Privacy Office does not respond to your question or concern to your satisfaction, you may contact the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario.