USER AGREEMENT AND TERMS OF SERVICE
Welcome to the South Carolina Department of Education Web Site (the "Site"). In general, the South Carolina Department of Education (SDE) policies governing the collection and dissemination of personally identifiable information follow the same rules that would apply to an in-person visit to the department, and are governed by the same state and federal laws that cover such visits. The purpose of the statement is to inform users of this site with regard to the collection and use of personally identifiable information. Nothing herein should be construed to, nor does it, create any new or different rights than those available under existing State and federal laws. Please read this user agreement and terms of service; by visiting and using this service, you accept the following terms:
CHANGES
Because the Web is an evolving medium, we may need to change or adapt these Users Agreement and Terms of Service from time to time. By using the Site after we post any changes or impose new conditions, you accept the Users Agreement and Terms of Service, as modified.
DEFINITION OF PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION
For the purposes of this statement, "personally identifiable information" means any information relating to an identified or identifiable individual who is the subject of the information. This includes information such as names, addresses, social security numbers and credit card numbers.
Personally Identifiable Information Not Routinely Collected
Users are not required to provide personal information simply to visit the SDE Web site or to download information. Government agencies may request personally identifiable information in order to provide requested specialized services, but such information is handled as it would be on an in-person visit to a government office.
Personally Identifiable Information that May Be Subject to Public Disclosure
In the state of South Carolina, laws exist to ensure that government is open and that the public has a right to access appropriate records and information possessed by a government agency. At the same time, there are exceptions to the public's right to access certain records in order to preserve the privacy of individuals. Such exemptions are authorized by both State and federal laws. Information collected by SDE, like information collected during an in-person visit to a government office, may be subject to inspection and copying by the public, unless such an exemption in law exists. In the event that there is a conflict between this Privacy Statement and a State or federal law governing the disclosure of public records, the applicable State or federal law shall control.
FORUMS
The South Carolina Department of Education encourages different points of views and ideas to be openly exchanged and discussed. We cannot and do not review every posting or comment made in our forums. We do not endorse or guarantee the accuracy or validity of any posting or comment, regardless of the originating source. The South Carolina Department of Education cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to us, and you do so at your own risk. By submitting material or posting content on our forums and site, you grant the South Carolina Department of Education a nonexclusive, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, and fully sublicensable right to use, display, reproduce, edit, adapt, publish, translate, create works from, and distribute such content throughout the world in any media. You grant the South Carolina Department of Education the right to use your name and address you submit with your message, if we choose to publish it.
PUBLISHER'S RIGHTS
Although The South Carolina Department of Education Web Site is intended for public use, we do not intend to give up our rights or anyone else's rights, to the information, materials, graphics, or logos appearing on our site. Materials published on the Site are protected by copyright, trademarks, and other intellectual property laws. You may not modify, copy, reproduce, republish, upload, post, transmit or distribute in any way any material from our Site including code and software. Requests for permission to reproduce or distribute materials found on the Site should be sent to: Office of General Counsel 1429 Senate Street Columbia, SC 29201 or send e-mail to info@ed.sc.gov.
THIRD PARTY LINKS
The South Carolina Department of Education Web Site provides links to sites maintained by third parties. Neither the South Carolina Department of Education, the Site, or the State of South Carolina operates or controls in any respect any information, products, materials or services that third parties may provide. Posting of a link does not indicate South Carolina Department of Education endorsement of that site. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of such other sites. We encourage our users to be aware when they leave our site and to read the privacy statements of each and every site they visit. We do not warrant that third party sites or any of its functions will be interrupted or error-free, that defects will be corrected, or any of its servers are free of viruses or other harmful components.
LINKS TO OUR SITE
We welcome links to our Site. You are allowed to establish a link to our Site. Establishment of the link does not imply or states any sponsorship of your site by The South Carolina Department of Education and should not be treated as such.
FRAMES
You may not frame our Site or any of its components into another Web site or other service.
DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY
Even with our daily monitoring of the Site, we can not guarantee that our Site will be error-free. You agree to use our Site at your sole risk. You understand that you are solely responsible for any damage to your computer system or loss of data that results from any material and/or data downloaded from or otherwise provided through our Site.
PERSONAL INFORMATION VIA THE USE OF COOKIES
A cookie is a small piece of data stored on the user's hard drive containing information about the user. Once the user closes their browser, the cookie automatically terminates. The South Carolina Department of Education Web Site automatically receives and records information on our logs from your browser including your IP address, which is not linked to personally identifiable information. We use this information to analyze trends, administer the Site, track user's movement, and gather broad demographic information for aggregate use. The South Carolina Department of Education is the sole owner of the information collected on our Site. The South Carolina Department of Education cannot ensure or warrant the security of information transmitted or provided to us, and you do so at your own risk.
SIGNING UP AS A MEMBER OF OUR SITE, COOKIES, PRIVACY, AND THE USE OF YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION
The SDE collects, retains, and uses personal information about users only when they choose to subscribe to an SDE service.
The SDE collects, retains, and uses personal information only where it is lawful and is essential to administer and to provide products, services and other opportunities requested by a user.
The South Carolina Department of Education Web Site automatically receives and records information on our logs from your browser including your IP address, which is then linked to personally identifiable information if a user has chosen to subscribe to an SDE service.
Any SDE application or Web page that uses "cookies" will identify itself as such. This information is handled in the same way as other personally identifiable information obtained by the SDE. No user information will be gathered through the use of "cookies" except that which is required to run the specific application(s) being accessed by the user.
Use of user E-mail Addresses
E-mail addresses obtained as a result of requests to the SDE Web site will not be sold or given to any organization outside of SDE agencies for marketing purposes. The information collected is subject to the access and confidentiality provisions of the State's Freedom of Information Act and other applicable sections of the South Carolina Code of Laws and/or federal law. E-mail or other information requests sent to the SDE Web site may be maintained in order to: respond to the request, communicate updates to the SDE page that may be of interest to citizens, or provide the SDE Web designer with valuable customer feedback to assist in improving the site. Individuals will be provided with the option to subscribe/unsubscribe to communications regarding new service updates at any time.
DATA SECURITY AND QUALITY
The SDE is committed to data security and the data quality of personally identifiable information that is either available from, or collected by the Web site, and has taken precautions to protect personally identifiable information from loss, misuse or alteration. Any third parties responsible for this information are committed to the same principles, and also are required by contract to follow the same policies and guidelines as the State of South Carolina in protecting this information. Unless otherwise prohibited by state or federal law, rule or regulation, individuals will be given the ability to access and correct personally identifiable information maintained by the SDE that may be in error.
NONDISCRIMINATION POLICY
The South Carolina Department of Education does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, or disability in admission to, treatment in, or employment in its programs and activities. Inquiries regarding nondiscrimination policies should be made to the Employee Relations Manager, 1429 Senate Street, Columbia, South Carolina 29201 (803-734-8781). For further information on federal non-discrimination regulations, including Title IX, contact the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at OCR.DC@ed.gov or call 1(800) 421-3481.
LAWS
This users Agreement and Terms of Service has been made in and shall be construed in accordance with the laws of the State of South Carolina. By using the Site, you consent to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts in Richland County, SC, in all disputes arising out or relating to this agreement or the South Carolina Department of Education Web Site. For questions or comments about the South Carolina Department of Education Web Site, please send comments or suggestions to our Communications Office (info@ed.sc.gov).
S.C. Code Section 30-2-50 provides that no person or private entity shall knowingly obtain or use any personal information obtained from a public body for any commercial solicitation directed to a person in this State. The South Carolina Department Education, as a public entity, gives notice to the public that obtaining or using these public records for commercial solicitation is prohibited. Any person who knowingly uses public records for commercial solicitation is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined an amount not to exceed five hundred dollars or imprisoned for a term not to exceed one year, or both.