- Our Commitment to Privacy. This notice describes our Privacy Policy. Our privacy policy is designed to advise you about how
we collect, use, and protect the personal information you provide. By visiting this site, you are accepting the practices described
in this Privacy Policy. - What Information is collected and How It is used. The MTAC website is divided into two areas: public and private. We may
collect your IP address, URLs you visit on our site, browser type and language, and the time of your visit. This site, like many
other sites, records this basic information about visits to our site. We use this information to improve the effectiveness of our
information dissemination programs and to comply with licensing requirements. We do not collect financial information anywhere
on the web site.
On the private portion of the MTAC website, where a password is required for access, MTAC teacher members may use the site
to register their students for the Certificate of Merit (CM) program or other programs. The password protected site requests
personally identifiable information about the teacher, such as name, address, e-mail, phone number and fax number. When
teacher members register their students for the CM program, the website collects student information consisting of name, school
grade and CM level. Age is requested only for the panel program and most students are in high school when they apply for this
program. The information about students is used for the administration of the programs. The information is not sold or rented.
Cookies may be used on the public portion to analyze website usage. A session cookie is used for the private portion. The
session cookie expires when the user logs out or closes the browser.
The public portion of our website includes photos of students. Students’ names are not listed with the photos. Student names
may appear in listings for various programs (Convention, Piano Solo/Concerto competitions and so on). - How We Protect Your Information. The privacy and protection of your information is important to us. The private portion of the
website is password protected. Teachers only have access to the students they register. Our business practices limit employee
access to confidential information, and limit the use and disclosure of such information to authorized persons, such as IT
administrators, and the branch chairs in charge of administering the program. In general, teachers do not have access to the
personal information of students who they do not teach. Teachers only have access to the personal information of students they
do teach. Only branch chairs, state chairs, members of the CM Council, and an IT administrator have access to the entire
database. - Who Has Access to the Information. Information about our users is important to us. We restrict access to the password
protected site. Outside consultants may assist us with the administration of the web site, and they are required to sign a
confidentiality agreement. The teacher information regarding a teacher can be accessed and changed by the teacher at any
time. Only the teacher who entered the student’s information
has access to the student’s information, and a limited number of administrators. Note: Branch Chairs only have access to the
personal information for students residing within that branch. - How You Can Access Your Information. Parents who are concerned about information collected about their children may
review their child’s information we have collected by contacting their child’s teacher
Parents also can refuse to permit the further use or maintenance of their child’s information. We will honor a parent’s request to
have this information removed from our database. To have your child’s information removed from our web database, please
contact your child’s teacher. - Consent. By using our website, you consent to the collection and use of your personal information as described in this Privacy
Policy. - Changes to Privacy Policy. If our Privacy Policy or procedures change, we will immediately post those changes to our website.
Any such changes will be effective immediately upon being posted, unless otherwise stated in the change. - Legal Disclaimer. MTAC may need to disclose personal information when required by law or to comply with a legal process.
- Effective Date. This Privacy Policy is effective as of June 1, 2007.
MTAC Privacy Policy and Children
The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which is directed towards websites that interact directly with children under the age of 13, reminds us to be careful of the information that we may have or store online in our website, relating to children. Although it is not entirely clear whether we fall under the provisions of COPPA, we feel the necessity to be protective of children and MTAC through the following measures:
- We will provide a descriptive paragraph in the CM Information letter that goes to parents, informing them of the fact, that in the process of Certificate of Merit registration, some personal information about children is collected in a database. This letter will refer them to the privacy notice on the website for
further information. - We are adding a layer of security to our website to further protect the information that is there.
- We will be removing the options in the CM database for student’s address, email and phone which are not needed. This provides another level of security in the protection of children.
Branches and Other Websites
Branches should be aware of the legal requirements of COPPA and maintain a level of awareness and concern about privacy issues and the gathering of information of children under the age of 13. Branches need to be aware that they may fall under the requirements of COPPA if their websites interact with children or if they collect personal information of children on their website. Branches that have online registration programs, or other features that relate to young students, should not collect any information about children under the age of 13, which is not absolutely necessary for the administration of their programs. See the State MTAC Online Privacy Policy (enclosed herein) for a suggested online policy to post if your website does such things. Our Attorney has suggested that a permission form, signed by the parent, may be a good idea to be completely compliant and a sample of this can be provided to those branches which are interested.
For further information, contact Lee Galloway at Lee@LeeGalloway.com.