Privacy Policy

Last Updated: 9/28/2025

1. Information We Collect – Celebrating Achievements Responsibly

Our Privacy-First Approach: We collect only information necessary to help schools celebrate their achievements and connect with their communities. We focus exclusively on publicly appropriate content and do not collect confidential education records.

Types of Information We Collect:

Account and Community Information:

Name, email address, and school affiliation (when provided)
User role (public viewer, registered community member, or authorized contributor)
Communication preferences and notification settings
Community interests and school following preferences

Achievement and Community Content:

Positive stories, articles, and announcements celebrating school success
Photos and media showcasing public achievements and events
Community engagement through comments and reactions to celebrations
Public recognitions, awards, and accomplishments
Sports scores, event information, and extracurricular highlights
Community service projects and leadership examples

Platform Interaction Data:

How you discover and engage with achievement stories
Device information, IP addresses, and browser data (for security and platform improvement)
Usage patterns that help us recommend relevant school news and achievements
Cookies and similar technologies for enhanced platform functionality

Community Communications:

Support requests and feedback to help us serve school communities better
Survey responses about platform improvements
Communications with schools regarding content and community management

What We Specifically Do NOT Collect:

We are designed to celebrate achievements, not manage confidential information. We do not collect:

Academic grades, test scores, or transcripts
Disciplinary records or behavioral assessments
Medical or health information
Social security numbers or government identifiers
Special education records or IEPs
Confidential information from student education records maintained by schools
Non-directory information requiring special parental consent

2. How We Use Information – Supporting School Communities

We use collected information exclusively to support our mission of celebrating school achievements and connecting communities:

Platform Operations and Community Building:

Operate and continuously improve our celebration platform
Enable community engagement through reactions, follows, and notifications
Connect community members with relevant school achievements and news
Facilitate positive communication between schools and their communities

Safety and Community Standards:

Maintain community standards and platform security
Protect against spam, fraud, and inappropriate behavior
Ensure platform supports workflows and processes to enable schools to approve appropriate content content
Enforce platform and community standards and guidelines

Sustainable Platform Development:

Serve appropriate, family-friendly advertising that supports platform operations
Analyze engagement patterns to improve how we celebrate achievements
Develop new features that better serve school communities
Ensure platform reliability and performance for all users

Legal and Community Compliance:

Comply with applicable laws while supporting educational communities
Respond to legal requirements and protect community safety
Apply uniform platform policies without editorial involvement in school content decisions
Support transparency and accountability in our platform operations

Our Commitment: We do not sell personal information. We share information only in ways that support school communities and platform operations.

With School Communities:

Schools may access information about their community’s engagement with their content
We provide schools with account management tools and technical support for their authorized contributors
Schools receive insights about how their achievements are being celebrated
We provide technical support for schools’ independent content management decisions

With Trusted Service Partners:

We share information with carefully selected service providers who help us operate the platform under strict confidentiality agreements:

Cloud hosting providers for reliable platform operations
Analytics services to understand community engagement
Customer support platforms to serve schools and users better
Security services to protect community data
Payment processors for advertising and subscription services

Legal Requirements and Community Safety:

We may share information when required by law or to protect community safety:

Legal subpoenas, court orders, or regulatory requirements
Protecting against fraud, abuse, or safety threats
Supporting law enforcement in appropriate circumstances
Business transfers (with continued privacy protection commitments)

International Data Transfers:

Your information may be processed in countries other than your own. We ensure appropriate protection through:

Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by privacy authorities
Adequacy decisions by relevant regulatory bodies
Other appropriate safeguards required by applicable privacy laws

4. Your Privacy Rights – Community Member Control

We believe community members should control their own information. Depending on your location, you may have the following rights:

Universal Privacy Rights:

Access: Request information about what personal data we have about you
Correction: Update inaccurate or incomplete information in your account
Deletion: Request removal of your personal information (subject to legal requirements)
Communication Control: Manage email notifications and platform communications
Account Management: Update your preferences and community following settings

Enhanced Rights by Location:

European Union (GDPR):

Right to data portability (receive your data in a structured format)
Right to restrict processing in certain circumstances
Right to object to processing based on legitimate interests
Right to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent

California (CCPA/CPRA):

Right to know what personal information we collect and how it’s used
Right to delete personal information (with certain exceptions)
Right to opt-out of sale/sharing of personal information (note: we don’t sell information)
Right to non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights
Right to correct inaccurate personal information

Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, and Other States:

Similar rights to access, delete, correct, and control your information
Right to appeal our decisions regarding your privacy requests
Protection against discrimination for exercising privacy rights

How to Exercise Your Rights:

Contact Methods:

Email: corporate@schoolkudos.com

Response Timeframes: We respond to privacy requests within the timeframes required by applicable law (typically 30-45 days), often sooner for straightforward requests.

5. Data Security and Retention – Protecting School Communities

Security Measures:

We implement comprehensive security measures to protect the information of school communities:

Technical Safeguards:

Encryption of data during transmission and storage
Secure authentication systems and access controls
Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments
Automated monitoring for suspicious activities

Operational Safeguards:

Employee training on data protection and privacy practices
Background checks for staff with data access
Incident response procedures for any security events
Regular updates to security systems and practices

Physical Safeguards:

Secure data centers with restricted access
Environmental controls and backup systems
Vendor security requirements and oversight

Data Retention – Balancing Community Needs:

We retain information only as long as necessary to serve school communities and comply with legal requirements:

Account Information: Maintained while your account is active, then deleted within 30 days of account closure
Achievement Content: Retained as long as it’s published or as required by legal obligations
Community Engagement Data: Up to 2 years for platform improvement and community insights
Support Communications: Up to 3 years to provide consistent community support
Legal Compliance: As required by applicable laws and regulations

6. Children’s Privacy – Supporting Young Achievers Safely

Age-Appropriate Platform Design:

Our platform is designed to celebrate achievements across all school levels while providing enhanced privacy protections for younger community members.

COPPA Compliance (Under 13):

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without parental consent
When schools include younger students in achievement celebrations, they obtain necessary parental permissions
We provide enhanced privacy protections for any content involving younger students

Teen Privacy (Ages 13-17):

Enhanced privacy settings and parental communication options
Limited data collection focused only on celebrating achievements
No behavioral advertising targeting based on teen user data
Additional safeguards for content involving minors

Educational Privacy (FERPA Compliance):

Schools maintain responsibility for determining appropriate content for public celebration
We provide technology while schools retain control over student information
All content focuses on publicly appropriate achievements and celebrations
Schools manage any required parental communications or consent processes

Parental Rights and School Collaboration:

Schools are solely responsible for managing parental decisions on child inclusion in stories on the platform
Parents may contact schools directly about their child’s inclusion in achievement celebrations
Schools work with parents to ensure appropriate representation of student achievements

7. Cookies and Technology – Enhancing Community Experiences

How We Use Cookies and Similar Technologies:

Essential Platform Cookies:

Required for basic platform functionality, including user authentication and session management
Enable core community features like login, user profiles, and content interactions
Support platform operations including activity feeds and member connections
Store user preferences for platform settings and community engagement options
Cannot be disabled without significantly affecting platform functionality
Data remains on your device and is not transmitted back to Company or its partners

WordPress Core Cookies:

Standard WordPress authentication and session management cookies
Administrative interface functionality for authorized school contributors
Content management and publishing workflow support
Security features and spam protection

Analytics and Improvement Cookies (When Enabled):

Help us understand how school communities use our platform
Identify popular achievement categories and engagement patterns
Support platform improvements and feature development
Always used in aggregate, never to identify individual users

Community Preference Cookies:

Remember your school following preferences and notification settings
Personalize your experience with relevant achievement stories
Enable customized views of community content and activity feeds
Enhance your connection to school communities you care about
Support member profile and activity preferences

Browser Settings:

Most browsers allow you to block, delete, or manage cookies
You can set preferences for different types of cookies
Essential cookies from our technology partner BuddyBoss cannot be disabled without losing platform functionality

Platform Cookie Preferences:

Manage optional analytics and marketing cookies through available preference settings
Opt-out of non-essential tracking while maintaining core community functionality
Update your choices at any time through your account settings (when available)

Note Platform Cookies: Functional cookies from our technology partner BuddyBoss are essential for platform operation and do not collect sensitive personal data. These cookies enable the community features that make our platform work and are not used for tracking or marketing purposes.

8. Advertising and Platform Sustainability

Community-Appropriate Advertising:

Our Advertising Philosophy: We may serve advertising from time to time. We serve advertising that supports our mission of celebrating educational achievements while maintaining platform sustainability.

Family-Friendly Standards:

All advertisements are reviewed for appropriateness in school community contexts
We prioritize educational, community-supportive, and family-friendly advertisers
Advertising content aligns with our positive, achievement-focused mission

Privacy-Protective Practices:

We use contextual advertising based on content topics, not personal profiles
No behavioral advertising targeting for users under 18
Transparent advertising practices with clear identification of sponsored content

Revenue and Community Support:

Sustainable Platform Operations:

Advertising revenue supports platform development and community features
Schools benefit from access to celebration and communication tools
Community members enjoy ad-supported access to achievement stories
Revenue model aligns platform success with community engagement and satisfaction

9. Data Breach Response – Protecting Our Community

Incident Response Commitment:

In the unlikely event of a data security incident, we are committed to transparent, swift action:

Immediate Response:

Rapid investigation and containment of any security incident
Assessment of potential impact on school community information
Implementation of additional security measures as needed
Coordination with law enforcement and regulatory authorities when appropriate

Community Notification:

Prompt notification of affected community members as required by law
Clear, understandable information about what happened and what we’re doing
Specific guidance on steps community members can take to protect themselves
Regular updates as we learn more and implement additional protections

Regulatory Compliance:

Notification of relevant authorities within required timeframes
Cooperation with regulatory investigations and requirements
Implementation of additional safeguards based on lessons learned
Transparent reporting about incident causes and prevention measures

10. International Privacy and Community Standards

Global Community, Local Compliance:

As we serve school communities across different regions, we comply with applicable privacy laws while maintaining consistent community standards.

Regional Privacy Frameworks:

European Union: GDPR compliance for EU community members
California: CCPA/CPRA compliance for California users
Other U.S. States: Compliance with emerging state privacy laws
International: Adherence to applicable local privacy requirements

Cross-Border Data Protection:

Appropriate safeguards for international data transfers
Privacy-protective contractual agreements with service providers
Regular review of international privacy law developments
Commitment to maintaining high privacy standards globally

11. Privacy Policy Updates and Community Communication

Transparent Communication About Changes:

Advance Notice for Material Changes:

30 days advance notice via email for significant privacy practice changes
Prominent notices on the platform highlighting important updates
Clear explanation of what’s changing and why
Opportunity to review changes before they take effect

Community Input and Feedback:

We welcome feedback about privacy practices and policy changes
Regular review of community concerns and suggestions
Commitment to maintaining privacy practices that serve school communities
Transparency about how community feedback influences our policies

How We Notify You:

Email notifications to registered community members
Prominent announcements on the platform homepage
Updates to our “Last Updated” date with change summaries
Social media and community communication channels when appropriate

12. Contact Information and Community Support

Privacy Questions and Requests:

Privacy Team:
Email: corporate@schoolkudos.com
Response Time: Typically within 2-3 business days for general inquiries

Mailing Address:
School Kudos, Inc.
Attention: Privacy Officer
30700 Telegraph Road
Suite 3655
Bingham Farms, MI 48025

For our community members in the European Union, we process personal information based on the following legal grounds:

Consent: When you explicitly agree to processing (e.g., marketing communications, optional features)
Contract Performance: To provide platform services and fulfill our Terms of Service commitments
Legitimate Interests:
- Platform improvement and community experience enhancement
- Security, fraud prevention, and community safety
- Business operations and school community communications
- Platform sustainability through appropriate advertising
Legal Obligation: Compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and legal requirements
Vital Interests: Protection of health, safety, or other vital interests of community members

We always ensure that our legitimate interests are balanced against your privacy rights and freedoms.