How Should I Communicate During the Suspension of Classes?

How Should I Communicate During the Suspension of Classes?

As our work situations continually evolve our staff are tasked with communicating effectively with students, families, and colleagues while reporting from different locations and without the benefit of face-to-face clarification. 
Please consider the following to ensure your communication is effective, appropriate, and in compliance with security and archive practices.   


How should I communicate with colleagues/supervisors? 

  • Your @mvsd.ca email or phone

What should my preferred communication method be for families/students? 

  • Your @mvsd.ca email 
  • This should be your default method as much as possible 
  • Schools continue to remain open so staff can access school phone networks  
  • The use of text messaging or FaceTime with students/families on personal devices is not encouraged 
Confidentiality 
  • Any communication that includes student first and last names, assessment comments, assessment results, reports, 3rd party reports, internal MVSD information, etc MUST be communicated via @mvsd.ca email or by phone (not text messaging) 
  • If by phone ensure you are taking appropriate documentation 
Social Media 
  • Social media accounts/pages can be an option to share supplementary resources and information with families and students Gr 9+  
  • Use of social media accounts MUST be through a separate, designated professional account; not your personal account 
  • Do not engage with students below Gr 9 on social media as the Terms of Service state that users must be 13+  
  • Do not utilize the inbox, direct message (DM), messenger on social media platforms 
  • This provides a perceived sense of confidentiality and stakeholders may start confidential conversations through these mediums 
  • There is no social media platform that houses data within Canada (FIPPA, PHIA, PIPEDA) 
  • It is the staff responsibility to respond to family/student confidential conversations via their @mvsd.ca email for documentation purposes 
  • Do not get distracted on social media.  You are not on social media during your normal work day; be mindful of the public seeing you engage on your personal pages during the work day 
  • If you are using social media to communicate with stakeholders turn on your notifications for these accounts only; only use it during the work day for these purposes 
3rd Party Ed Communication Sites 
  • Ex: Class Dojo, SeeSaw, Edmodo, Schoology, etc 
  • Any communication that includes student first and last names, assessment comments, assessment results, reports, 3rd party reports, internal MVSD information, etc MUST be communicated via @mvsd.ca email or by phone 
  • The sites listed above do not house data within Canada (FIPPA, PHIA, PIPEDA) 
  • It is the staff responsibility to respond to family/student confidential conversations via their @mvsd.ca email for documentation purposes 

I'd love to hear your thoughts; please leave a comment!