The Alabama School Counselor Association (ALSCA) recognizes the importance of protecting the privacy of all information provided by visitors to our website, recipients of our email correspondence, and our members. This page explains our approach to privacy on this website and how it affects you.
SHORT VERSION
- We collect anonymous statistics about your visit to our website, like which of our pages you viewed.
- If you fill out any of our online forms, we take great care to keep your information safe, and we’ll never share it with others without your express permission or without the necessity of addressing the posed topic.
- We never share your data with third parties except to help us deliver our own services.
These are just the key points. If you need detail, keep reading.
MEASURING OUR VISITORS
We measure visitors to our websites and products using Google Analytics. This service records what pages you view within our site, how you arrived at our site and some basic information about your computer. The information we collect helps us understand what parts of our sites are doing well, how people arrive at our site and so on. Like most websites, we use this information to make our website better. You can learn more about Google Analytics or opt out if you wish. Google Analytics data is automatically deleted 26 months after your last visit.
SECURITY
ALSCA takes many precautions to prevent the loss, misuse or alteration of your personal information. These precautions include:
• Use of SSL encryption for sensitive data
• Hardware stored in secured data centers behind firewalls
• All access to information restricted by password and/or secure key
• Restrictions to what information can be accessed via any location
While we take great care to ensure any confidential information remains protected, we cannot guarantee the security of data sent over the Internet.
COOKIES
Cookies are small pieces of information sent by a website to a visitor’s hard disk. Cookies cannot be used to run programs or deliver viruses to your computer. By continuing to visit the website, you agree to the placement of cookies on your device. If you choose not to accept our cookies, we cannot guarantee that your experience will be as fulfilling as it would otherwise be. We may also place cookies from third parties for functional and marketing purposes. The use of cookies is widespread and benefits the user.
What are cookies?
For modern websites to work according to visitors’ expectations, they need to collect certain basic information about visitors. To do this, a site will create small text files which are placed on visitors’ devices – these files are known as cookies. Cookies are uniquely assigned to each visitor and can only be read by a web server in the domain that issued the cookie to the visitor. Cookies cannot be used to run programs or deliver viruses to a visitor’s device.
Cookies do various jobs which make the visitor’s experience of the internet much smoother and more interactive. For instance, cookies are used to remember the visitor’s preferences on sites they visit often, to remember language preference and to help navigate between pages more efficiently. Much, though not all, of the data collected is anonymous, though some of it is designed to detect browsing patterns and approximate geographical location to improve the visitor experience.
How are cookies used on Kinetic.com?
ALSCA places cookies to store and then retrieve small bits of information on your computer when you visit. This is to ensure that our content is tailored to your specifications, thereby improving the visitor experience of the site. Among other things, the cookies we use let us calculate (anonymously) how many visitors the website has. We believe that the visitor experience of the website would be adversely affected if visitors opt out of the cookies we use.
What type of cookies are there and which ones do we use?
Cookies can be categorized by how long they are stored and their function.
Cookies categorized by length of storage:
Persistent cookies
Persistent cookies remain on a visitor’s device for a set period of time specified in the cookie. They are activated each time that the visitor visits the website that created that particular cookie.
Examples of how we use persistent cookies:
• Calculating the number of site visitors and how many of those visitors are returning over a set period of time.
Session cookies
Session cookies are temporary. They allow website operators to link the actions of a visitor during a browser session. A browser session starts when a visitor opens a browser window and finishes when they close it. Once you close the browser, all session cookies are deleted.
Examples of how we use session cookies:
• To improve the usability of our site
• To route the visitor to the most available web server
Cookies categorized according to function:
Performance cookies
Performance cookies collect anonymous data for statistical purposes on how visitors use a website, they don’t contain personal information, and are used to improve the visitor experience.
Examples of how we use performance cookies include:
• Gathering data about visits to the website, including numbers of visitors and visits, length of time spent on the site, pages clicked on or where visitors have come from
• Information supplied by performance cookies helps us understand how visitors use the website; for example, whether or not visitors have visited before, what visitors looked at or clicked on and how they found us
How can visitors control cookies?
Visitors must be aware that any preferences will be lost if cookies are deleted, and many websites will not work properly, or functionality will be lost. ALSCA therefore does not recommend turning cookies off when using this website.
Most browsers accept cookies automatically, but visitors can alter the settings of their browser to erase cookies or to prevent automatic acceptance. Browsers generally provide the option to see the cookies currently stored and to accept, reject or delete cookies, block third party cookies, block cookies from particular sites, accept all cookies and subscribe to a notification when a cookie is issued. A visit to the ‘options’ or ‘preferences’ menu on their browser will allow visitors to change settings. The browser help section usually provide detailed information on how this is accomplished.
Managing performance cookies
It is possible to opt out of having your anonymized browsing activity within websites recorded by performance cookies. Visitors can prevent their data from being used by installing a browser add-on that blocks the functionality.
We use the following tools for recording performance cookies:
• Google Analytics
VISITOR CONSENT
By continuing to use the website, you agree to the placement of cookies on your device. If you choose not to receive our cookies, we cannot guarantee that your experience will be as fulfilling as it would otherwise be.
LINKS TO OTHER SITES
Please be aware that while visiting our site, visitors can follow links to other sites that are beyond our sphere of influence. We are not responsible for the content or privacy policy of these other sites.
USERS & RESPONDENTS
In order to provide services to its visitors, We collect certain types of data from them. Furthermore, We collect information from respondents who fill out our forms. This section will describe how data is collected. Data entered or transferred to us such as inquiries, contact information, etc., remains the property of visitor and may not be shared with a third party by ALSCA without express consent from the visitor or to address the provided topic.
Respondents should be aware that in responding to our online forms, they could be disclosing information that could make them personally identifiable to ALSCA and/or the members allowed to see the documentation to address the posed topic. The security and privacy protection implemented on this platform does not cover this type of transfer or disclosure of personal information. Respondents responding to our online forms should be aware that they alone are responsible for the content of their responses. It is our responsibility to ensure that collection and processing of data is done in accordance with applicable law. ALSCA will not process personal data of respondents for other purposes or by other means than instructed by ALSCA leadership.
COLLECTION OF USER AND RESPONDENT DATA
During a respondent’s completion of website forms, they may provide information such as name, email, telephone number, and other relevant and potentially identifiable personal data. Among other things, this information is used by ALSCA to identify the user and provide them with support, services, mailings, and/or contractual obligations.
We will not retain user data longer than is necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected or as required by applicable laws or regulations.
The purpose of collecting personal data as part of our online forms will vary depending on the online form, as set up by ALSCA. For users in the EEA, Kinetic will be the “controller,” as defined in the Directive and the GDPR. The purpose will consequently be defined by ALSCA.
GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION
We currently process all personal data solely in the United States.
CONTROLLER
We process personal data both as a Processor and as a Controller, as defined in the Directive and the GDPR. All data collected by ALSCA through online forms will be stored exclusively in secure hosting facilities provided by Bluehost. We have a data processing agreement in place with this provider. All hosting is performed in accordance with their standards (https://www.bluehost.com/hosting). To find out more about the specific standards they comply with, users are encouraged to visit their site. The Google Analytics scripts in use allow for the collection of personal data and in this situation, Google acts as a Processor.
PROCESSING
We process data solely in data centers located in United States. We will promptly notify the User in the event of any known unauthorized access to, or use of, the User’s data.
All data collected by us through forms will be stored exclusively in secure hosting facilities provided by Bluehost. Our contract with this hosting provider ensures that all hosting is performed in accordance with their standards (https://www.bluehost.com/hosting). Accordingly, we adhere to practices and policies that aim to safeguard the data.
RETENTION AND DELETION
We will not retain data longer than is necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected or as required by applicable laws or regulations. For respondent data, ALSCA and particular site admin members have control of the purpose for collecting data, and the duration for which the personal data may be kept. If and where requested by a user or respondent, all personal data will be deleted, as required by applicable law.
ACCEPTANCE OF THESE CONDITIONS
We assume that all visitors of our website and/or respondents to forms, have carefully read this document and agree to its contents. If someone does not agree with this privacy policy, they should refrain from using our website. We reserve the right to change our privacy policy as necessity dictates. Continued use of this website after having been informed of any such changes to these conditions implies acceptance of the revised privacy policy.
OUR LEGAL OBLIGATION TO DISCLOSE PERSONAL INFORMATION
We will reveal a user’s personal information without his/her prior permission only when we have reason to believe that the disclosure of this information is required to establish the identity of, to contact or to initiate legal proceedings against a person or persons who are suspected of infringing rights or property belonging to us or to others who could be harmed by the user’s activities or of persons who could (deliberately or otherwise) transgress upon these rights and property.
As a professional organization for school counselors, we are bound by the code of ethics laid out in the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) Ethical Standards for School Counselors (revised 2016), where appropriate. Among other things, this code of ethics dictates that, as mandatory reporters, we are required to report any suspicion of child abuse and neglect in compliance with the appropriate laws of the State of Alabama (Alabama Code 26-14-3). In other situations, we are permitted to disclose personal information when we have good reason to believe that this is legally required.
IN UNCERTAIN SITUATIONS
In situations not explicitly covered or discussed in the above documentation, ALSCA will seek to comply with the standards as dictated by the state of Alabama on their website (https://www.alabama.gov) or in correspondence with appropriate authorities or ASCA on their website (https://www.schoolcounselor.org) or in correspondence with appropriate members of ASCA, whichever is more appropriate.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
If you have any further questions regarding the data Kinetic collects, or how we use it, then please feel free to contact us by email at alscaboard@gmail.com.