In the Sunshine Coast School District (SD46) we work to equip our students with the skills necessary in an increasingly digital world. We recognize the significance of access to appropriate digital technologies and supporting an opportunity for grade 4 to 12 students to work with Google educational internet applications (“Google Apps”), as described below.
Google Apps (Google Classroom) is hosted by Google. The apps are designed specifically for K-12 school districts and is a powerful suite of school district managed online collaboration and productivity tools. It is a secure, private and ad-free environment and offers more control and protection than a personal Google/Gmail account. Google Classroom is currently used by thousands of schools, with tens of millions of student accounts around the world.
As a public institution, we are subject to the BC Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. In accordance with this Act, we recognize the importance of protecting the privacy of students under our care. Google’s servers are located outside of Canada, which means that this information and other information in the student’s Google account may be subject to the laws of a foreign jurisdiction, which may not provide the same privacy protections as the laws in place in Canada. Therefore, students will receive instruction on how to use their district managed G Suite for Education account in ways that avoid posting private and personal information. For example, photos of individuals that make them identifiable and adding surnames are not permissible.
For more information about Google’s privacy and information management practices Google’s Terms of Services and Privacy Policy can be found at: https://policies.google.com/terms?hl=en-US. These documents provide assurances that Google will not monitor or track student online activity for the purposes of identifying or contacting individual students. However, Google may collect some information about how its systems are being used generally by students in order to provide, maintain and improve its products and services.
By signing this form you are consenting to the collection, use and disclosure of the student’s personal information through the use of the Chromebooks and Google Apps as described above. You are also acknowledging and agreeing that this information may be disclosed to, used by and accessible to Google outside of Canada for the purposes as outlined above.
In addition this collected information may be used for educational purposes for students to access media and other resources offered via the school district.
While this is not an educational requirement, we hope that you will see the value in these tools for your child. If you choose to grant permission, please sign the consent form along with your child’s signed consent and return it to your child’s classroom teacher who will then provide further instructions to your child on how to access G Suite for Education. If you choose not to grant permission, an alternative resource will be provided. This form will remain active for the duration of your child's enrollment at this school and may be withdrawn by you at any time.
If you have questions about the intended use of Google Classroom in your child’s classroom, please speak with your child’s teacher or school principal.
