Digital Citizenship & Online Safety
Technology is an important part of learning, communication, and everyday life. At the Ottawa Catholic School Board (OCSB), we are committed to helping students use technology safely, responsibly, and in ways that reflect our Catholic values.
Digital citizenship is about more than knowing how to use technology. It is about treating others with kindness and respect, making good choices online, protecting personal information, and contributing positively to digital communities.
Through classroom learning, school resources, and partnerships with families, we help students develop the skills and confidence they need to navigate an increasingly connected world.
Key Ways We Support Students
 Safe and Secure Digital Learning Environments |
 Age-Appropriate Digital Citizenship Education |
 Responsible Use of Technology Expectations |
 Privacy and Security Protections |
 Ongoing Collaboration with Parents and Guardians |
Safe and Secure Digital Learning Environments
Age-Appropriate Digital Citizenship Education
Responsible Use of Technology Expectations
Privacy and Security Protections
Ongoing Collaboration with Parents and Guardians
Forming Digital Citizens Through Faith
Samaritans on the Digital Road is the Ottawa Catholic School Board’s digital citizenship program for students from Kindergarten to Grade 12. Rooted in the Parable of the Good Samaritan, the program helps students understand that their responsibility to love and care for others extends to the digital world.
What Students Learn
Through age-appropriate lessons, students develop skills to:
- Communicate respectfully online.
- Demonstrate empathy and compassion.
- Recognize and respond to cyberbullying.
- Protect personal information.
- Use technology responsibly.
- Make ethical decisions in digital spaces.
Why It Matters
As technology becomes increasingly integrated into everyday life, students need guidance on how to navigate online environments safely and responsibly. Samaritans on the Digital Road helps students become thoughtful digital citizens who reflect Catholic values both online and offline.
Online Safety
Keeping students safe online is a shared responsibility between schools and families.
Parents and guardians play an important role in helping children develop healthy online habits, understand privacy settings, create strong passwords, recognize online risks, and respond appropriately when something does not feel right.
Our Online Safety resources provide practical information and guidance to help families support safe technology use both at school and at home.
Student Technology Support & Information
Technology & Student Accounts
Student Accounts
The Ottawa Catholic School Board (OCSB) provides every student with an OCSB Google account through Google Workspace for Education. This enterprise grade level protected online environment gives students access to digital tools that support learning, collaboration, and communication. With their OCSB account, students can:
- Create and share documents, presentations, and spreadsheets.
- Access Google Drive, Calendar, Sites, and other Google tools.
- Use OCSB-supported learning platforms, including Google Classroom and Hapara Workspace*.
- Access Student Portal resources with a single sign-on.
- Access Gemini for Education (at the teacher’s discretion) in Grades 4-12.
- Student email addresses follow a format similar to: @stu.ocsb.ca
Your child’s teacher will provide their OCSB email address and login information.
*Schools are in the process of moving from Hapara to Google Classroom. Each school will share updated information as the changes are implemented.
Safety & Privacy
Google Workspace for Education includes enhanced privacy and security protections designed for schools, including:
- Secure data storage.
- No advertising.
- Compliance with education and industry privacy standards.
- Transparent privacy policies
Learn more about Google Workspace for Education privacy and security: Google Privacy & Security › For students in Kindergarten to Grade 6, email accounts are restricted so they can communicate only with other OCSB email accounts.
Student Portals
All OCSB students have access to the Student Portal that provides links to learning resources, educational tools, and support materials for use at school and at home.
Students must sign in using their OCSB account to access portal resources.
Using Chrome Profiles
Because students may use different devices at school and home, OCSB recommends setting up a dedicated Chrome Profile for your child’s school account. Using a separate Chrome Profile helps:
- Keep school and personal accounts separate.
- Protect privacy when devices are shared.
- Simplify access to OCSB tools and resources.
- Enable approved educational extensions and single sign-on features
Learn how to create a Chrome Profile ›
Hapara Workspace/ Google Classroom
Both Hapara Workspace and Google Classroom are Learning Management Systems (LMS) that OCSB staff use to organize and manage student learning activities.
Teachers can:
- Share assignments and resources.
- Provide website links and learning materials.
- Monitor assignment submissions.
- Give feedback to students.
- Track learning progress
- Most student work submitted online will be completed through Hapara Workspace.
Hapara Highlights
Hapara Highlights helps teachers support student learning during school hours.
Teachers can:
What Teachers Can See:
When a student is signed into their OCSB Chrome Profile during school hours, teachers can view:
- The titles of open browser tabs.
- A static screenshot of the currently active tab.
- Screenshots refresh approximately every 3 to 5 seconds and are not live video.
The Highlights operate only during school hours on weekdays and only when students are signed in to their OCSB account. What Teachers Cannot See:
- View anything outside the student’s OCSB Chrome browser session.
- Access other users’ browser profiles on the same device.
- View device settings.
- Access browser history.
- Monitor personal accounts that are separate from the student’s OCSB profile.
For privacy, parents and family members should ensure they are signed out of the student’s Chrome Profile before using a shared device.
Note: Only your child’s classroom teacher can access Hapara Highlights information. District-level Google and Hapara administrators do not have access to student Highlights views. FAQ for Parents at support.hapara.com.
YouTube Access
An OCSB Google account also provides students with access to YouTube. Student accounts use ‘Restricted Mode’, which helps filter potentially inappropriate content and limits access to comments on some videos.
Parents can also enable ‘Restricted Mode’ on personal devices used at home.
OCSB Responsible Use of Technology Agreement
Students and families are asked each year to review and sign the OCSB Responsible Use of Technology Agreement. This agreement helps ensure that everyone understands their responsibilities when using board technology, networks, and online resources.
The agreement supports a safe, respectful, and productive digital learning environment for all students.
Annual Agreement
Each school year, students and families review and acknowledge the OCSB Responsible Use of Technology Agreement through the student portal.
Why the Agreement Matters
The agreement helps ensure that technology is used:
- Safely
- Responsibly
- Respectfully
- In support of learning
Access the Agreement:
K-6 Responsible Use of Technology Agreement ›
7-12 Responsible Use of Technology Agreement ›
You can also find and sign your child’s Responsible Use of Technology Agreement via Parent Portal login.
