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Frequently Asked Questions

Introduction

This page includes answers to frequently asked questions about how to use the SMCDSB community engagement platform. Whether you're getting started, managing your account, or participating in projects, you’ll find helpful information organized by topic below.

Scroll through the categories or browse the table of contents to quickly find what you’re looking for.

Table of Contents

Getting Started

1) What is this platform for?

2) How do I participate?

3) How do I sign up for an account?

Profile, Privacy and Visibility

4) What information can people see about me?

5) Who can see my responses?

6) Can I participate anonymously?

Participating in Projects

7) Why can’t I post my input or submit a comment?

8) How do I edit or delete my input?

9) How do I report an offensive post?

10) What are the community guidelines and moderation policies?

Account Access and Login Support

11) Why am I having difficulty signing up or logging in?

12) How do I reset my password?

13) How do I update my login information?

14) Why can’t I see any projects?

Data Privacy, Security and Accessibility

15) What will you do with my data?

16) Is this platform secure?

17) Is this platform accessible?

Notifications and Account Management

18) What emails will I receive?

19) How do I delete my account?

Getting Started

1. What is this platform for?

This platform is the central hub for the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board (SMCDSB) to share information and gather feedback from our community. It provides an easy way for you to connect, collaborate, and contribute to meaningful school board projects and initiatives throughout the year.

Active participation opportunities are displayed on the homepage. Each project may offer different ways to engage—such as sharing ideas, commenting on proposals, voting on priorities, or completing surveys. Engagement tools and timelines may vary depending on the goals of each project.

2. How do I participate?

You can browse public projects at any time, but you’ll need to sign up and log in to participate. Creating an account helps maintain a safe, authentic community space and ensures that all input comes from real participants.

Once signed in, you can take part in any engagement opportunities that are open—such as posting ideas, commenting, voting, or completing surveys.

For information on how to sign up, including available sign-in options, please see “How do I sign up for an account?”

3. How do I sign up for an account?

You can sign up for an account using any of the following options:

  • Email — create an account using your email address and a password
  • Google — sign in with your Google account credentials
  • Facebook — sign in using your Facebook account credentials

All sign-up methods provide full access to the platform and its engagement features. Choose whichever option is most convenient for you.

If you have trouble signing up, please see “Why am I having difficulty signing up or logging in?”

Profile, Privacy and Visibility

4. What information can people see about me?

Your name, profile photo, and bio—if you choose to add them—are visible to other users. You can update or remove these details at any time in your Settings.

Your email address and other sign-in information are never visible to other users.

To access your Settings, click your name in the top-right corner of the platform.

5. Who can see my responses?

Who can see your responses depends on the type of activity within the project.

Posts, comments and ideas

For interactive tools such as posting ideas, commenting, or participating in discussions, your responses are visible to the group that the project is designed for. Some projects are open to the broader community, while others are limited to specific groups—such as students, parents, staff, or other identified participants. Your posts are only visible within those intended groups.

Survey responses

Survey answers are not visible to other participants. They can only be accessed by platform administrators and project administrators for the purpose of reviewing and analyzing feedback. Individual survey responses are never publicly displayed.

6. Can I participate anonymously?

You can participate anonymously in some parts of the platform, depending on the type of activity and how the project has been set up.

Posts, comments and ideas

For tools such as posting ideas or commenting, you may have the option to post anonymously. Before clicking “Submit,” select “Post anonymously” under Profile Visibility. When this feature is enabled, your name will not appear alongside your post.

Anonymous posting may be turned on or off for each project based on the topic and sensitivity level. If the option is not visible, anonymous posting is not available for that project.

Survey responses

Survey responses are always anonymous to other participants. Only platform administrators and project administrators can view survey results, and individual responses are never publicly displayed.

Participating in Projects

7. Why can’t I post my input or submit a comment?

Posting, commenting, and voting may only be available during specific phases of a project. In some cases, a project may only be open to contributions from certain groups—such as parents, students, staff, or community members—depending on the purpose of the project.

If posting is enabled, you’ll see a button prompting you to submit your input. If you don’t see this option, the project may not be accepting contributions at this time, or you may not be part of the group the project is currently open to.

You can always browse other active projects for additional opportunities to participate.

8. How do I edit or delete my input?

If you’ve posted input and want to edit or delete it, click the three small dots in the top-right corner of your post to access these options.

9. How do I report an offensive post?

If you come across a post that you believe violates our community guidelines, you can report it by clicking the three small dots in the top-right corner of the post. Select the reason for your report, and a notification will be sent to our moderation team for review.

All reports are assessed in relation to our community guidelines and moderation policies. Differences of opinion, general disagreement, or respectful debate do not qualify as offensive content and will not be removed on that basis alone.

For more details on expectations for posts, please see “What are the community guidelines and moderation policies?”

10. What are the community guidelines and moderation policies?

Our community guidelines help ensure that the platform is a safe and respectful space for everyone. Posts should not include:

  • Personal attacks, insults, abusive or discriminatory comments
  • Offensive language, including profanity
  • Marketing or advertising material
  • Personal information about other individuals
  • Copyrighted material such as images

Posts that do not follow these guidelines may be edited or deleted, or in some cases prevented from being posted. Respectful disagreement with the opinions of others is permitted.

Account Access and Login Support

11. Why am I having difficulty signing up or logging in?

If you’re having trouble signing up, it may be because you’ve already created an account using the same email address or previously received an invitation. Check your email for the invitation link, including your spam or junk folder. If you can’t find it, you can request a new invitation.

If you already have an account but can’t log in, ensure you’re using the same sign-in method you originally selected (email, Google, or Facebook).

12. How do I reset my password?

If you created your account using email, you can reset your password by clicking “Forgot password?” on the login page. A reset link will be sent to your email. The link is valid for one hour; if it expires, you can request a new one.

If you don’t receive the email, check your spam or junk folder and ensure you are using the same email address you registered with.

If you created your account using Google or Facebook, your password is managed through those services. Use their password recovery options to reset it.

13. How do I update my login information?

To update your email address, change your password, or adjust your login method, click your profile image in the top-right corner and select Settings. Scroll down to Login Credentials, where you can:

  • Update your email address
  • Change your password
  • Switch between login methods (email, Google, or Facebook), if supported by your account

These options are available only when you are logged in.

14. Why can’t I see any projects?

If you’ve signed up and logged in but don’t see any projects, your registration may be incomplete. You must select both your community member type (e.g., student, staff, parent, etc.) and your school (e.g., your specific school name or “not applicable”).

To update this, click your name in the top-right corner and open your Settings. You do not need to add a photo or bio for your registration to be complete.

Data Privacy, Security and Accessibility

15. What will you do with my data?

For full details, review GoVocal’s privacy policy. GoVocal will never use your data for advertising, marketing, or spam.

Information you provide is used by SMCDSB only for the purposes outlined in each project. Your personal information is not sold or shared with external organizations for marketing or commercial use.

16. Is this platform secure?

Yes. GoVocal’s platform meets internationally recognized security standards, including:

  • ISO 27001 Information Security Management certification
  • Cyber Essentials certification through the IASME Consortium
  • GDPR compliance

These measures help ensure your information is stored and managed securely.

17. Is this platform accessible?

Yes. This platform follows the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2, which support accessibility for people with a wide range of abilities.

This includes compatibility with screen readers, keyboard navigation, and other assistive technologies.

Notifications and Account Management

18. What emails will I receive?

You may receive emails related to your account and activity—for example, notifications when someone responds to one of your posts or when a project you’re involved in has an update.

You can manage your email preferences by going to Settings and selecting Notifications.

19. How do I delete my account?

You can delete your account by going to Settings and selecting the option to delete your account. After deletion, your previous input will remain visible but your name will be removed and replaced with “unknown author.”

If you want your posts or comments removed entirely, please delete them before deleting your account.