HomeMy WebLinkAbout08 Report 04-058 MFOI and Protection of Privacy0
ML
OTTAWA-CAtu.ETON
DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
Report No. 04 -058 to the Chairs' Committee
Re: Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act Status Report
ORIGINATORS: Bonnie Viney, Coordinating Superintendent of Corporate Services
Janice McCoy, Executive Officer, Human Resources
PURPOSE:
aa.
March 31, 2004
To provide trustees with an update on the status of activities under the Municipal Freedom of Information
and Protection of Privacy Act ( MFIPPA).
BACKGROUND AND STATUS:
2. Responsibility for access and privacy provisions of the MFIPPA rests with the Executive Officer of Human
Resources who has been designated as the Information and Privacy Coordinator for the OCDSB. This
responsibility includes receiving and coordinating the response to all written requests for access to
information submitted under the MFIPPA and ensuring compliance with its provisions, in accordance with
Procedure PR.510.GOV — Official Access Requests under the Municipal Freedom of Information and
Protection of Privacy Act.
An annual report on the status of activities in the specific area of freedom of information and privacy for
the previous calendar year is normally provided to trustees in the spring. This coincides with the date the
annual statistical report is prepared and submitted to the Information and Privacy Commission.
4. At the end of December 2003, the OCDSB had received a total of seven requests for access to information
under the MFIPPIA. No complaints were filed with respect to privacy issues. One request for information
was carried over from 2002 to 2003, due to the submission date. It was from a parent requesting personal
information (i.e. education related records) about her child. Of the seven requests received in 2003, four
were from parents requesting similar personal information about their children, one pertained to accessing
specific job descriptions, one pertained to planning and financial information on a school and the last was
requesting information on a particular vendor with whom the Board had done business with.
5. Although student records are accessible to parents on request, within the last two to three years, a number
of parents have elected to submit formal access for information requests under the MFIPPA to obtain
access to their children's educational records. In almost all cases, this process is used where there is or has
been a disagreement between the parents and the Board related to the identification or placement of the
student, or the level of services being provided.
6. To date in 2004, we have not received any formal requests for access to information under the MFIPPA.
In addition to these annual reports, trustees are provided with information, as required on specific requests
for access to information or privacy complaints under the MFIPPA.
SUBMITTED FOR INFORMATION
Lorn e M. Rachlis
Director of Education/
Secretary of the Board
Bonnie L. Viney
Coordinating Superintend t
of Corporate Services