FIPPA! What the heck is that and why do I need to know it!
FIPPA, or the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, is a legislative framework designed to promote transparency, accountability, and privacy protection within government institutions in Canada. Government institutions in this sense, very importantly, also includes educational institutions! (Much like the ones we’ll be working in – fingers crossed for a smooth graduation amirite). As future teachers we’ll need to know not only how to protect our own privacy but also honour and protect the privacy of our students!
So why should I care? – WRONG mindset, I should absolutely care and I don’t want to be one of those Tiktok teachers exposing my students’ faces to my millions of followers everyday. I want to respect their privacy and get their consent AND their parent and guardians consent for any media creation using their likeness – it’s not just good practice, it’s the law!
For my clarification I found more information about a teacher’s approach to FIPPA on the NIC (North Island College) Privacy and Student info page – as seen below. I have also included their handy flowchart as a separate image that can be used as a quick double check to make sure that as teachers we are upholding BC standards (The flowchart is created for NIC teachers and students but is applicable across the board).
