Privacy - Google Workspace for Education 

Privacy policy and collection notice 

When a school chooses to use Google Workspace for Education applications with their students it is essential that schools update their privacy policy and collection notices to reflect the use of these technologies. 

MACS schools can locate the sample Privacy Policy and Collection Notice for schools available on the Catholic Education Victoria Network (CEVN) site under MACS Policies. These documents provide wording for the use of Google Workspace for Education applications with students. 

Schools can access the sample privacy policy document and privacy collection notice on CEVN.

Access to Google applications by schools to meet child safety standards – advice for schools

Schools making decisions about using Google Core Services and Additional Services should understand the risks and responsibilities associated with these services. 

The following Google Services are available through the CEV Google Workspace for Education instance: Core Services and Additional Services. 

Schools should understand that the standard Google Agreement covers the core Google services. Some additional Google Services may have age restrictions and Parental consent must be sought before allowing any students under the age of 18 to use Additional Services. 

Schools are asked to:

• in conjunction with their Google administrators, understand the settings for Google services and make decisions about associated risks

• consider requesting that ‘Additional Services’ be enabled/disabled for the various users in the school (this will be managed through Google Organisational Units at the school level)

• ensure they obtain Parental consent to allow any students under the age of 18 to use Additional Services

• update their child safety risk registers, as appropriate.

Updates to the privacy policy and collection notice

It is important that schools take all reasonable steps to ensure their parent community is informed about any updates to the Standard Collection Notice and Privacy Policy. 

Sample text for notifying updates to the privacy policy and collection notice

Schools should refer to the resources stored under the MACS policy section on CEVN for sample text when notifying parents about the use of tools such as Google Workspace for Education.