This privacy policy and code of conduct covers the website and forum (hereinafter called the website) and other aspects of membership. By joining the association, and using the website, users have accepted the following policy.
Data Collected: NESTA will collect a user’s name, email address, employer, phone number (hereinafter called ‘personal data’, with the exception of names of volunteers) for the database. All posts, usernames, and photographs will remain the property of NESTA.
Purpose: Personal data is collected to authenticate users; to ensure the safety of the site; for subscription to the NESTA Digest; security of voting; communication about membership benefits, voting, fees, and other important announcements regarding NET teachers.
Names: Usernames should be used on the forum except when related to office bearers or official documents or used with permission from members. Former office bearer’s names will remain on the forum for the official record. Members’ names will be used on all official documents including but not limited to, minutes, reports, and motions.
Disclosure: Personal details can be disclosed to executive officers where necessary and will be kept confidential, and to fulfill legal requirements. Data will not be sold or transferred to third parties without users’ consent.
Retention: All personal data will be retained unless requested by a member for removal from the database. Any information assisting in the verification of an employer apart from the name of the school will be destroyed within 7 workings days from being received by NESTA. At the termination of membership, a request to remove personal data will be completed within 7 working days unless required to be retained for legal purposes.
Security: NESTA recognises that data transferred over the internet is not completely secure. NESTA will take all precautions necessary to protect users’ data. Users will ensure they are responsible for the security from the Internet to their online devices and will keep their password secure. NESTA will not ask for a user’s password. NESTA does not guarantee the security of third-party websites linked to the NESTA website. NESTA will not collect or retain sensitive financial information regarding financial transactions.
Amendment: NESTA retains the right to amend this policy when necessary and publish/inform users when amendments occur. Users may regularly check this policy for updates.
Updating: Users must keep their information up to date and accurate.
Cookies: The website uses cookies that can be disabled without affecting service.
Code of Conduct: Users of the NESTA website or forum shall:
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- not discriminate on the basis of gender, age, ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation
- respect other members’ points of view
- not use abusive language against other members
- follow the rules and regulations of the NESTA constitution
- not disclose personal information or correspondence from our forum OR on our forum without the written permission of all parties
- not post material that is knowingly false, defamatory, inaccurate or abusive in any way
- not post any abusive, obscene, vulgar, slanderous, hateful, threatening, sexually orientated or any other material that may violate any laws be it of your country, the country where the NESTA forum is hosted or International Law.
Breaches: Any member found to have violated the Code of Conduct of the NESTA website or forum shall:
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- be given a warning by the Forum Moderator, which will remain on the member’s record for one (1) year from the time the warning is issued
- on the third violation, be suspended from the NESTA website or forum for a period of time determined by the NESTA Executive Committee.
Forum Rules
NESTA accepts no responsibility for the accuracy of content posted by members or your reliance on any information contained within any such content available through our forum. The comments published on the NESTA forum represent a wide range of views and interests of members. Statements made during online discussions are the personal opinions of members and do not necessarily reflect those of NESTA or any of our sponsors.
NESTA at all times and at its absolute discretion reserves the right to remove reasonably offensive comments in line with our Code of Conduct. The moderator /s reserves the right to delete or move posts without notifying the member if they are considered to be unsuited to the particular forum or moving away from the topic begun at the start of the thread.
Please refer to the Code of Conduct and Guidelines for Complaints for detailed forum rules and procedures. Click on Report Post next to the post if you are concerned about the content of a post.
Data Privacy Officer
To contact the Data Privacy Officer email [email protected]
Members ‘not in good standing’
Previously, the NESTA Executive Committee has made unanimous decisions to suspend membership privileges. There are no mechanisms, nor any intentions of implementing any mechanisms within the constitution to ban anybody from the membership. The Executive is required “to keep on file a record of all members in good standing”. The suspension of membership privileges means the removal of being “in good standing”.
The Executive Committee would like to reassure the membership that these decisions have not been made in haste and considerations of privacy and the best interests of NESTA have been first and foremost.
The decisions of the Executive are not permanent. At any stage, any NESTA member may propose a motion to overturn the suspensions.
If any member would like to discuss this further, they can contact the chairperson directly by emailing [email protected] or attend the GM where it can be brought to the attention of the secretary as an agenda item and discussed in AOB.
NESTA Complaints Guidelines
Members are reminded to contact the executive regarding complaints. If members feel their privacy has been breached then they can contact the Data protection officer by emailing [email protected]. If there is an outside agency that has jurisdiction over the NESTA Executive, then it is reasonable that the member contact that agency.
In the event that a NESTA member wishes to make a complaint against a NESTA executive committee member, standing committee member or other volunteer working on behalf of NESTA, the following process should be followed:
1. The member will send an e-mail to the Complaints Officer ([email protected]) outlining the exact nature of the complaint (for executive committee or standing committee members, complaints should relate to their duties in Sections III and IV of the NESTA constitution) with evidence attached (if necessary).
2. The Complaints Officer will table the complaint for discussion at the next available executive committee meeting or set up a special meeting if deemed necessary. The complainant will be invited to the meeting to discuss the details of the complaint.
3. A resolution, if any, will be recorded in the minutes and the matter will be closed.
4. If the complainant is not satisfied with the outcome of a complaint involving an executive committee member, he/she has the right to pursue the matter further by following the correct procedures under Section III of the constitution ‘Removal of Executive Committee Members from Office’. For complaints concerning other committee members and volunteers, the executive committee’s decision on the complaint is final.
Updated July 2021