Privacy Policy

Who We Are
Cowichan Valley School District (“we,” “us,” or “our”) is committed to protecting the privacy and security of everyone who visits our public website at https://sd79.bc.ca. This policy describes how we collect, use, and safeguard information from site visitors—no confidential admin operations or back‑office wizardry discussed here.

Information We Automatically Collect
When you browse our public pages, we collect usage metrics via Google Analytics—pages viewed, session duration, device type, general geographic region. We do not capture names, emails, or any personally identifiable information when you simply visit. Google processes your IP address in anonymized form to help us continually enhance content and performance. To opt out of Google Analytics tracking, you can install the Google Analytics Opt‑out Browser Add‑on.

Cookies & Session Data
We use essential cookies to support secure user sessions and basic site functionality. These cookies do not store personal data and expire when you close your browser or after a short period. No “remember‑me” pop‑ups or loyalty‑points gimmicks—just simple, privacy‑friendly browsing support.

Event Calendar Details
Our public Event Calendar displays information created and managed exclusively by district administrators. Visitors cannot submit or modify events. The calendar may show venue names, dates, times, descriptions, and ticket links; no personal data is collected from you in this process. If you follow a link to purchase Eventbrite tickets, attendee data is handled entirely by Eventbrite under their own privacy practices, not ours.

Embedded Content & Third‑Party Services
Some pages include embedded videos, maps, or social‑media feeds. Interacting with that content may involve data collection by those external platforms (e.g., YouTube, Google Maps, Facebook). We recommend reviewing their privacy policies before engaging; any data exchanges occur directly between you and the provider.

Auto‑Posting to Social Media
Announcements from our News & Events feed may be automatically reposted to official district channels on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Your interactions there fall under the privacy rules of each platform. We do not receive or store any additional data when you like, comment, or share on social media.

Data Retention & Security
We retain aggregated analytics data for up to 26 months, then purge or anonymize it. Public calendar information remains accessible until administrators archive or remove it. All data is protected with industry‑standard controls—SSL/TLS encryption, regular security updates, and strict access protocols.

Your Rights & Transparency
You have the right to access any personal data we may hold (though for general browsing, none is collected), to request corrections, or to ask that we erase any information tied to your visit if it exists. For inquiries or to exercise these rights, contact us at (250) 748‑0321.

Policy Updates
We may refine this policy to reflect new features or regulatory changes. Material updates will be flagged by a revised “Last updated” date at the top, ensuring you always know which edition you’re reading.

Thank you for visiting sd79.bc.ca—we’re dedicated to transparent, forward‑thinking stewardship of your browsing experience.