Gwinnett County Public Schools Employees

GCPS Online Portal - Privacy Statement

Effective Date: April 11^th, 2018

Gwinnett County Public Schools (“GCPS”, “we”, “us”, or “our”) provides electronic access to certain information regarding our students’ grades, courses, and other personal information as described in this Privacy Statement (“Statement”). The electronic access is provided through our Online Portal, which includes the Parent, Student, and Employee Portals (collectively, “the Service”). The Service is intended for use by students, their parent(s), legal guardian(s), or other authorized individuals, and current GCPS staff and employees.

This Statement describes how we collect, use, and disclose information collected through the Service. At GCPS, the privacy of our students is tantamount; we take reasonable efforts to protect that privacy in accordance with this Statement. Please read the Statement carefully and contact us using the information in the “How to Contact Us” section below if you have any questions.

Additional information regarding our privacy practices and compliance with applicable laws can be found in the Student-Parent Handbook for your child’s grade level. You have already consented to the terms of the Student-Parent Handbook, which are incorporated by reference herein.

Access

GCPS reserves the right to grant or deny access to the Service in accordance with applicable law, regulation, policy, and court orders. Access is reserved for authorized individuals. Login information, including but not limited to user names, credentials, and passwords should not be shared with unauthorized individuals. GCPS is not responsible for unauthorized access or use of the Service due to sharing of login information.

Individuals who access the Service hereby acknowledge and verify that they have the legal authority to obtain the educational information of the child(ren) the accessed account is linked to. Submitting false information or otherwise obtaining student information without authority may result in the termination of privileges to access and use the Service.

Updates to the Statement

We may update this Statement from time to time. When we do, we will post a notice on our website or otherwise take reasonable steps to notify you of the change and post the new statement on our website. The effective date of this Statement can be found at the top of this page. Your access to or use of the Service after the effective date constitutes your consent to the terms of this Statement.

Information Collected

We collect Personal Information from or about our students, their parent(s), legal guardian(s), or other authorized users of the Service, and our staff and employees. “Personal Information” means information about an individual that alone or in combination with other information may be used to identify that individual. Personal Information we collect includes, but is not limited to:

• Name, address, email address, phone number;
• Date of birth;
• Social Security Number;
• Unique identifiers (e.g., student ID #);
• Financial information (e.g., credit card information when you fill your student’s lunch account, direct deposit information for employees); and
• Other information you voluntarily provide to us.

We also collect Non-Personal Information, information that does not uniquely identify an individual, which may include aggregated or de-identified data.

Cookies

We may use certain automated technologies, such as cookies, to collect Personal and Non-Personal information when you access or use the Service. Cookies allow the Service to store certain information in your browser to improve the overall user experience of the Service. You may choose to not accept cookies through settings in your browser. If you so choose, certain areas or functions of the Service may be unavailable to you.

Access to Your Information

Under applicable State and Federal laws, parents and eligible students (those 18 years of age or older, or who are attending a postsecondary school) have the right to inspect, review, and request corrections of inaccurate student records. The Service provides access to and the ability to correct much of the student information we gather. However, if you have any problems accessing, reviewing, or correcting information, or if you need to request a change that cannot be made through the Service, please send a written request to the Principal of the school in which the student is enrolled or last attended.

GCPS staff and employees and authorized users of the Service may also access, review and correct their own Personal Information through the Service or by contacting us using one of the methods in the “How to Contact Us” section below.

How We Use Your Information

We use Personal and Non-Personal Information for a variety of reasons to benefit our students, their parents or legal guardians, and our staff and employees. A non-exhaustive list of examples of ways we use information includes:

• To contact you regarding GCPS events (e.g., school closures);
• To provide you with information about your child(ren);
• To enroll students in courses;
• To improve, upgrade, or personalize the Service; and
• To provide payroll and benefits to our staff and employees.

How We Disclose Your Information

GCPS does not sell Personal Information. We may share information, including Personal Information, with third-parties for the following reasons:

• To operate, maintain, upgrade, and otherwise manage the Service;
• To investigate, prosecute, or otherwise respond to allegations of unauthorized access or use of the Service;
• To provide information to another school district where the student will be or is enrolled;
• To comply with valid legal processes or requests for information; or
• For any other purpose to which you have consented (i.e., disclosure to media outlets as set forth in the Student-Parent Handbook).

Because GCPS is a public entity, certain information we maintain may be subject to disclosure under certain laws such as the Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) and the Georgia Open Records Act (“Ga. ORA”). However, student educational records are protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (“FERPA”) and are not subject to disclosure under FOIA or Ga. ORA.

Security

GCPS takes reasonable steps to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of your Personal Information and the Service. Unfortunately, no Internet service or transmission of data is 100% secure. We advise that you use precautions when sending us information on the Internet and avoid sending sensitive information in emails.

How to Contact Us

If you have any questions regarding the privacy statement please contact us by calling, emailing or writing us using the information below:

GCPS Privacy Statement Contact Form