GCPS Website - Privacy Statement

Effective Date: April 11, 2018

Gwinnett County Public Schools (“GCPS”, “we”, “us”, or “our”) is dedicated to protecting the privacy of individuals who visit our website. This Privacy Statement (“Statement”) describes how we collect, use, and disclose information that you provide to us through our website and your rights regarding that information.

Scope

This Statement applies to those GCPS websites where it is linked through a hyperlink at the bottom of the website (the “Website”). In addition to this policy, the GCPS Online Portal Privacy Statement, which you should review carefully, applies to your access and use of the GCPS Parent, Student, and Employee Portals. If you are a parent or guardian of a GCPS student, or an eligible student (age 18 or older), additional information regarding our privacy practices and compliance with applicable laws can be found in the Student-Parent Handbook for the applicable grade level.

This Statement does not apply to third-party websites linked to or from the GCPS website. Other websites, including those linked from our Website, may have privacy practices different from GCPS; we encourage you to review their policies separately.

Consent

By accessing or using the Website, you agree and consent to the terms of this Policy. We may modify this Statement from time to time and will use reasonable means to notify you of such a change. Revised policies will be posted to the Website with the effective date listed at the top of such policy. Your continued use of or access to the Website after the effective date of such statement constitutes your consent to the revised statement.

Information We Collect

Generally, when you visit our Website, you are not required to provide any information to browse the content available. However, certain areas of the Website may require you to log in or provide certain information to gain access. Providing information is voluntary. If you choose not to provide certain information, certain areas of our Website may be unavailable to you.

We collect Personal Information, which is information about an individual that alone or in combination with other information may be used to identify that individual, that you provide, including, but not limited to:

• Name, address, email address, phone number;
• Date of birth; and
• Other Personal Information that you voluntarily provide on our Website.

We also collect Non-Personal Information, information that does not uniquely identify an individual, which may include information about your browsing habits on our Website.

Most areas of our Website are accessible without providing personal information, but some areas require you to login. Our privacy practices in areas of the Website requiring login, such as the Parent Portal, are described in the Online Portal Privacy Statement.

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

If you have provided us with Personal Information, you may request access to that information and corrections of incorrect information by contacting us through one of the methods listed in the “How to Contacts Us” section below. Requests to access, review, or correct information will be addressed according to applicable law, regulation, and GCPS policy.

How We Use Your Information

We use Personal and Non-Personal information for a variety of reasons, including, but not limited to:

• To provide the services and features of our Website;
• To contact you regarding information that you indicate you would like to receive;
• To improve, upgrade, or personalize our Website; and
• For any other use to which you have consented.
  
  

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 our Website;
• To investigate, prosecute, or otherwise respond to allegation of unauthorized access or use of the Website;
• To comply with valid legal processes or requests for information; or
• For any other purpose to which you have consented.

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.

Additional information regarding our disclosure of student information in compliance with applicable State and Federal law can be found in the relevant Student-Parent Handbook.

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