Online and Hosted Unit 5 Sites Privacy Policy

INTRODUCTION

McLean County Unit 5 is very concerned about the protection of your online privacy, whether you are a teacher, student, parent, administrator, or general visitor to our Web site. As a result, McLean County Unit 5 has made the commitment not to disclose any of your personal information to third parties without your consent. For your protection, we have also established the following privacy statement that is meant to inform you of how we collect information and how we use it. Since this policy may change from time to time, we recommend that you refer to it regularly.

If you have questions or concerns regarding this statement, you should first contact the Unit 5 Web Manager by email at webmaster@unit5.org. If you do not receive acknowledgment of your inquiry or your inquiry has not been satisfactorily addressed, you should then contact the district offices either in writing or by email at district@unit5.org

WHO WE ARE

Unit 5 Online and the various websites hosted by McLean County Unit District No. 5 are operated as a single "Site" by McLean County Unit District No. 5, a publicly funded K-12 education district with a publicly elected Board of Education. 

HOW TO REACH US

Our general mailing address is:

McLean County Unit 5 Schools 

1809 West Hovey Ave.

Normal, IL 61761

 

Our phone and fax numbers are:

Phone: 309-452-4476

Fax: 309-452-7418

 

Our email address to contact us about privacy issues is:

webmaster@unit5.org or district@unit5.org

You'll find more information on how to reach on our Contact page.

WHAT INFORMATION WE KNOW ABOUT YOU AND HOW WE USE IT

Although we may collect certain information from you as discussed below, please be reassured in knowing the following:

• We do not use any information about where you personally go on our Site, nor do we give such information out to third parties;
• We do not give out your name, telephone number, or other personal information, unless you (or, if you are a child under the age of 13, your parent) authorize us to do so;
• Information gathered by our website via some form of electronic submission, except where noted below, is not held for any period of time beyond that which is needed and is never disclosed to third parties outside the district;
• Unit 5 limits the use of cookies to those that do not gather personal information about the users of Unit 5 Online or other Unit 5 hosted sites;
• Unless you are an adult and you personally divulge personal information, we will not give out information (or, if you are a child under the age of 13, your parent's) prior consent; and
• We will always give you (or your parent) the opportunity to access and correct your personal contact information at any time if for some reason we are in possession of this information for specific reasons as detailed below.

Personal Information that You Give Us

There are various areas on our Site where we either require or permit you to transfer personal information voluntarily. We use this personal information only for the specific purpose specified at the time you input such information. In addition, we never divulge such information to third parties without your consent. These areas include:

Online Job Applications. McLean County Unit 5 and the Human Resources department do accept electronic job applications. These applications require that users provide private and personal information as part of the application process for employment with McLean County Unit 5. This information is never disclosed outside the Human resources department except as part of the hiring process, and is never disclosed to third parties outside of the district.

 

Professional Development Academy Registration. McLean County Unit 5 and the Professional Development Academy offers staff members the ability to register for training and education courses via Unit 5 Online. Registration information submitted electronically via Unit 5 Online does not include information of a personal nature and is not shared with third parties or outside the immediate needs of the Professional Development Academy program

 

Staff Registration. Staff members registered with Unit 5 Online have the ability to receive enhanced services and functionality on our site, specifically in the Secured Staff Resources Area. In order to become a registrant of the Secured Staff Resources Area, we ask staff members for their first and last name and email address. This is only for those affiliated with Unit 5 as a staff member, administrator, or other persons who need access as determined by Unit 5. 

 

Message Boards and Postings. We offer private and secured message boards to be used by teachers and their students as part of a class curriculum. These boards require that staff and teachers have an ID and Password assigned to them for access. Message Boards are monitored for inappropriate activities and can be audited as needed to remove such activity when necessary. No employee of Unit 5 will ask for an ID or Password from staff or student inside these message boards, and all information about user accounts is protected and not shared with third parties. Please see our Terms of Use before using such boards and/or postings and make sure to post only information that you are comfortable sharing. 

 

Images. Unit 5 has a very specific policy regarding the posting and use of staff and student images on Unit 5 hosted websites. Policy disclosure is available in the Web Publishing Guidelines. Staff and student images must meet specific privacy protection minimums or they may not be posted.

INFORMATION THAT WE INDEPENDENTLY DERIVE FROM YOUR USE OF OUR SITE

Aside from any information you may actively disclose to us, there is other, less obvious, information that we might gain from you. Generally, we use such information for internal purposes such as to improve the content of our Web pages and/or refine the layout of our pages. This is generalized information that does not compromise your privacy; no information of a personal nature is gathered in this process.

Computer Information. We automatically query your computer for information about your computer system such as the speed of your modem, error messages you may have received, or operating system type -- to help us fit our services to your individual needs and to help us diagnose problems you may be having with your system. We use an identifier in the form of a user ID to give you access to subscription or premium areas.

Aggregate Information. Finally, our system automatically gathers information about the areas visitors to our site utilize and view. We use this navigational information in the aggregate to understand how our visitors as a group use the site(s) so that we can make our sites better. We do not share any of this information outside of the district if it in anyway contains information of a private or personal nature, and on average the information gathered is anonymous in nature.

Cookies. Cookies are pieces of information that our Web Site transfers to your computer's hard drive in order to make your experience on our Site more efficient. While other sites may use them to gather information that may be considered private, the few cookies in use by Unit 5 do not gather information of a private nature. Cookies used only serve to automate certain functions like Polls and Message Boards, and are limited to storing information for a set period of time after which they are discarded. Cookies built and uploaded to your computer by Unit 5 do not contain code that compromise your privacy, and they are not retrieved and read by Unit 5 except when needed to verify use of services.

IP Addresses. An IP address is a number that is automatically assigned to your computer whenever you begin service with an Internet Service Provider. McLean County Unit 5 collects IP addresses for the purposes of system administration and to audit the use of our Site. Each time you connect to our Site and each time you request one of our pages, our server logs your IP address. Although we log your session with us, we will not normally link your IP address to anything that can enable us to identify you. However, we can and will use IP addresses to identify a user when we feel it is necessary to enforce compliance with our rules or terms of service or to protect our service, Site, users or others.

WHEN WE MAY BE FORCED TO DISCLOSE

McLean County Unit 5 may disclose user information in special cases when we have reason to believe that disclosing this information is necessary to identify, contact or bring legal action against someone who may be causing injury to or interference with (either intentionally or unintentionally) McLean County Unit 5's rights or property or anyone else that could be harmed by such activities. McLean County Unit 5 may also disclose user information when we believe in good faith that the law requires it.

LINKS TO OTHER SITES

Linking to other sites is an integral part of the functionality of the Internet and therefore of the McLean County Unit 5 sites. Any link to a page which displays a URL of a non-McLean County Unit 5 site in the address window of your browser, is a link to a site outside of our service. These links may be found all over Unit 5 Online and other Unit 5 hosted websites, both for informational and educational purposes. These other sites may send their own cookies to you, collect data or solicit personal information. Although we monitor the sites that we link to and make every attempt to ensure their quality, we cannot guarantee and are not responsible for the content of outside sites. For more information on safety on the Internet for children, Internet 101's excellent article is a good starting place.

Please keep in mind that whenever you give out personal information on other Web sites, for example via message boards or chat, that information can be collected and used by people you don't know. While McLean County Unit 5 strives to protect our visitors' personal information and privacy, we cannot guarantee the security and privacy of any information you disclose at other Web sites and you do so at your own risk.

EMAIL LINKS

We use email links located on our various "contact us" pages to allow you to contact us directly with any questions or comments you may have. 

We read every message sent in and try to reply promptly to every one. This information is used to respond directly to your questions or comments. We may also file your comments to improve the site and program, or review and discard the information. Your personal information is not shared with third parties, except where noted for legal purposes or when legally required.

SECURITY - GENERAL

This site has security measures in place to protect the loss, misuse and alteration of the information under our control. At no time will you be asked to provide information of a personal nature beyond an email address, except when making application for employment online (see Human Resources Information Security). All information submitted to Unit 5 Online and McLean County Unit District No. 5 electronically via any of our hosted websites is discarded once interaction that requires given information is completed. No outside organization or entity will be given access to personal information while it is in the possession of Unit 5 except where it is legally required.

Human Resources Information Security. Unit 5 Online offers, as a free service, the ability to apply for posted open job positions electronically. Information requested can be considered of a private nature, and submitted via an unsecured form electronically using electronic mail systems. It is possible that information can be intercepted by third parties and reviewed, however Unit 5 makes no claim to securing this information while it is in transit electronically from an end user to Unit 5. Information gathered through an electronic job application is entered into Unit 5 Human Resources computing resources and stored electronically for a minimum of one year, at which time they are discarded. Information gathered electronically via the submission of an online job application form is never shared with anyone outside of the Human Resources department.

Online Email Access (Staff Only). Unit 5 Staff members are advised of the following when using the Unit 5 Online provided email access pages: 

• Electronic mail transmitted and viewed via the Online Email Access page is not secured and is susceptible to third party intervention or interception
• Electronic mail access uses limited cookies to make the process of using the Online Email Access page and is subject to the relevant statements of this policy
• It is possible, however unlikely, that a third party may use a computer after you have and gain access to your private email via the Online Email Access page. It is recommended that you shut down your browser after each use of the Online Email Access page at a minimum to limit the possibility of abuse by a third party. 

Secured Staff Resource Site Security. Certain areas of content on Unit 5 Online are considered employee only and protected by an encrypted ID and Password system. Employees are advised the following:

To help protect your account, please keep your password secure. We suggest that you pick a non-obvious password and one that mixes numbers and letters. In addition, we recommend that you do not divulge your password to anyone. McLean County Unit 5 will never ask you for your password in an unsolicited phone call or email. Ultimately, you are responsible for maintaining the secrecy of your passwords and any account information.

Remember to log out of your McLean County Unit 5 registered user account and close your browser window whenever you leave your computer. This is to ensure that others cannot access your personal information and correspondence, because your computer may be accessible to others or used in a shared setting such as a school computer lab, library or Internet café.

McLean County Unit 5's policy does not extend to anything that is inherent in the operation of the Internet, and therefore beyond McLean County Unit 5's control, and is not to be applied in any manner contrary to applicable law or governmental regulation.

Professional Development Academy Information Security. Staff members registering for a class electronically with the Professional Development Academy (PDA) are required to disclose certain contact information that may be considered private. This information is submitted electronically via the Internet and may be susceptible to interception by third parties where it can be read or used in a manner other than intended.

Online Polls and Voting. No personal information will be asked or gathered without permission regarding these activities, when available, on Unit 5 Online and all other Unit 5 websites. 

Email Mailing List. Unit 5 maintains and operates an automated subscription service for important announcements to be sent by Unit 5 to registrants via email. This system is voluntary, and "opt-out" options are given in every email sent to registrants, as well as online. No personal information is gathered beyond email addresses, and Unit 5 does not disclose email addresses to third parties for any reason beyond those specifically detailed in this Privacy Policy document.

Questions About Security?  

If you have any questions about the security at our website, you can send an email to district@unit5.org.

LEGAL DISCLAIMER

We may disclose personal information when required by law or in the good-faith belief that such action is necessary in order to conform to the edicts of the law or comply with a legal process served on our Web site.

NOTIFICATION OF CHANGES

We will notify you via our website if there is a material change in our privacy practices. We will also post the changes in our privacy statement 30 days prior to a change.

YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THESE TERMS

By using this Site, you signify your assent to the McLean County Unit 5 Privacy Policy and the Terms of Use. If you do not agree with these policies, please refrain from using our Site. Your continued use of the McLean County Unit 5 Site following a reasonable notice of changes to these terms will mean you accept those changes.

If you have questions or concerns regarding this Web site's privacy statement and/or terms of use, you should contact us via email at: district@unit5.org.

Document Revised 7/11/2001.  Version 1.01