Privacy Policy for Inklings Academy

Effective Date: August 1, 2026

At Inklings Academy (“we,” “us,” or “our”), we respect your privacy and are committed to protecting the personal information of our students, parents, and website visitors. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your data when you visit our website, purchase our homeschool curriculum, or enroll in our live or self-paced courses.

1. Information We Collect

We collect information directly from parents and guardians when creating accounts, enrolling students, or purchasing digital goods.

A. Personal Information Provided by Adults

  • Account & Billing Details: Name, email address, phone number, billing address, and payment details (processed securely via our payment gateways).
  • Charter School Information: Student charter school affiliation, purchase order (PO) details, and designated charter advisor/teacher contacts.
  • Communications: Information provided when contacting us for support, subscribing to newsletters, or submitting forms.

B. Student Data (Minors)

We take extra care when collecting information related to student participants in our courses:

  • Student Profile Information: Student first name (or preferred name), age/grade level, and course enrollment records.
  • Course Participation Data: Submitted assignments, writing portfolios, instructor feedback, quiz results, and discussion forum posts within our Learning Management System (LMS).
  • Live Class Interactions: Audio, video, or chat interactions during live online instructional sessions or webinars.

C. Automatically Collected Technical Data

When you navigate our website, we may automatically collect standard technical information:

  • IP address, browser type, operating system, and device identifiers.
  • Page view statistics, navigation paths, referring web addresses, and time spent on pages.
  • Basic cookie data used to manage shopping carts, log-in sessions, and site security.

2. Children’s Privacy & COPPA Compliance

Inklings Academy is dedicated to complying with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and prioritizing student data safety.

  • Parental Consent: We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children under the age of 13 without verifiable parental or guardian consent. All accounts, enrollments, and transactions must be completed by a parent, legal guardian, or authorized educational institution.
  • Student Data Protection: Student information collected during course enrollment is strictly used for instructional purposes, tracking academic progress, and facilitating class interactions.
  • No Marketing to Minors: We never market directly to children, nor do we sell, rent, or trade student profile data or student work to third parties for commercial or advertising purposes.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect solely to provide and improve our educational services, including:

  • Processing orders, course enrollments, and charter school purchase orders.
  • Delivering course materials, tracking student progress, and providing academic feedback.
  • Facilitating live class sessions, discussion boards, and student instruction.
  • Communicating important updates, class schedules, course receipts, and technical alerts.
  • Improving website functionality, platform security, and educational offerings.
  • Sending newsletter updates or promotional information to parents who have opted in (parents may opt out at any time).

4. How We Share Information

We do not sell, rent, or lease your personal information or student data to third parties. We share information only in the following limited circumstances:

  • Third-Party Service Providers: We utilize trusted service providers to run our educational platform (such as payment processors, website hosting, learning management systems, video conferencing platforms, and email communication software). These providers have access to data solely to perform specific tasks on our behalf and are obligated to keep it secure and confidential.
  • Charter School Partners: If a student’s enrollment is funded through a charter school purchase order, we may share attendance, enrollment status, and progress reports with the student’s charter school administrator or parent-teacher contact upon official request.
  • Legal Requirements: We may disclose information if required by law, court order, or government regulation, or to protect the safety, rights, or property of Inklings Academy, our users, or the public.

5. Data Security & Retention

  • Security Measures: We implement reasonable physical, technical, and administrative security measures (including SSL encryption and secure server environments) to protect personal data against unauthorized access, loss, or alteration.
  • Data Retention: We retain parent account and student course records for as long as necessary to fulfill the educational purposes outlined in this policy, comply with tax/legal obligations, and support historical student academic records for homeschool record-keeping.

6. Your Rights & Choices

Parents and guardians have the following rights regarding their and their children’s data:

  • Access & Review: You may log in to your account dashboard at any time to review, update, or correct your personal information and student profile data.
  • Data Deletion Requests: You may request that we delete your account or student personal information, subject to any legal or record-keeping requirements (e.g., tax receipts or active course administration).
  • Communication Preferences: You can unsubscribe from promotional email updates at any time using the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of any email. Transactional and course-related emails will continue to be sent for active enrollments.

7. Third-Party Links & Integration

Our website and LMS platform may contain links to third-party tools, resource sites, or living book recommendations. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of third-party websites. We encourage parents to read the privacy policies of any external sites visited.

8. Updates to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices or legal obligations. When changes are made, we will update the “Effective Date” at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

9. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our student data practices, please contact us by email at: info [at] inklings.academy