FREEDOM OF INFORMATION POLICY

Templeton Primary School has a responsibility to ensure that information in its possession is managed in a manner that balances open and transparent communication with issues of privacy and confidentiality.
Although Templeton Primary School has a policy of open and co-operative communication it does not mean we will allow people, organisations or agencies access to confidential or private information to which they have no right.

• To ensure that information is only provided to those who have a right to access it.

Implementation

• Parents or legally recognised caregivers will be provided with information relating to their children, including progress reports, student records, parent-teacher interviews and regular weekly newsletters.
• Separated or divorced parents will be provided with all information that other parents access, unless Court Orders or similar legal documents inhibiting this practice are provided to the Principal.
• Generally, requests from individuals or organisations seeking information about specific students or parents will be refused. Exceptions may be made by the principal for requests from agencies such as the Dept of Human Services, or the police etc.
• Administration staff or teachers will not provide information regarding students in response in incoming telephone calls. Such requests will be transferred to the Principal.
• Confidential student and staff records will all be stored in the school's fireproof security storage facility.
• The Freedom of Information Act 1982 provides members of the public with the right to access documents held at school (with the exception of exempt documents), and the amendment of personal information held on those files where the information is inaccurate, incomplete, out of date or would give a misleading impression.
• Any person seeking information from the school that falls outside the school's previous practices will be required by the principal to make a formal written Freedom of Information request.
• All Freedom of Information requests will be referred to the Department of Education and Training's Freedom of Information Unit.
• The School Council President will be informed of any FOI requests to the school.