Privacy Policy
K12's Commitments to Privacy
This Privacy Policy explains how We collect, use, and protect information We obtain from you. It applies to information We get over the Internet, by phone, by fax, through the mail, or by other means. By using the Sites (defined below), you accept the Privacy Policy. Please read it carefully before you use K12’s Sites.
This version of the Privacy Policy has the same meaning as the May 9, 2017 version. That version was rewritten to make the policy easier to read.
- What definitions apply to the Privacy Policy?
- What laws generally apply to student records?
- What non-personally identifiable information does K12 collect?
- How does K12 use non-personally identifiable information?
- When does K12 share non-personally identifiable information?
- How do K12’s Sites use “cookies”?
- Does K12 share information collected from cookies?
- What personally identifiable information does K12 collect?
- Does K12 share personally identifiable information?
- How does K12 use personally identifiable information?
- How does K12 treat personally identifiable information about children under 13?
- What are my California privacy rights?
- What information is collected or shared on message boards and chats?
- What happens when I link to other websites, chat rooms or resources from K12’s Sites?
- What is K12's commitment to data security?
- What happens if K12's corporate structure changes?
- Will this Privacy Policy change?
What definitions apply to the Privacy Policy?
"K12" (or “We”) means K12 Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliated companies.
"K12 School Program" means a school that offers education programs or services We provide.
"Local School" means the school that contracts with us for a K12 School Program.
"Personal Information" (or “PI”) means information that can be used on its own or with other information to identify, contact, or locate someone. “Non-PI” means information that cannot be used on its own or with other information to identify, contact, or locate someone.
“Sites” means K12’s websites, including this one.
What laws generally apply to student records?
K12 obeys laws that protect education records. This includes the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act ("FERPA") and state laws about student records. Other entities can access those records only if allowed by those laws and they agree to keep them confidential as required by those same laws. K12 does not use a student’s PI to target the student for advertising. K12 does not sell PI. K12 does not illegally create profiles about a student. K12 does not use (unless We ask for and receive permission) a student’s PI for purposes unrelated to providing or improving their education where We are prohibited by law from doing so. If any part of this policy conflicts with FERPA or other laws, K12 will obey the standard that provides more protection for the education records.
What non-personally identifiable information does K12 collect?
We automatically receive Non-PI from your web browser or device connected to the Internet. That includes your IP address (the string of numbers that identifies the device), the name of the Web page you visited just before visiting ours, the page or pages you visit on our Site, and how much time you spend on each page.
How does K12 use non-personally identifiable information?
We use this information to monitor and improve our Site. We also use it to study Internet traffic trends, administer the Site, and gather information.
When does K12 share non-personally identifiable information?
Except for “cookies,” We will not share non-PI unless i) We are required to by law, such as by a court order, ii) allowed to for law enforcement, health or safety purposes, iii) We collected it in the on-line school, to your child’s Local School, iv) to other companies that help us provide the K12 School Program, or v) where permitted, to protect K12’s legal rights.
How do K12's sites use "cookies"?
When you visit our Sites, the server creates a piece of text known as a “cookie” to put on your device. The cookie is unique to your browser. It lets the server remember information about your visit. Cookies do not collect PI. We use cookies to follow how you use the Sites to adapt Web content to your interests. If your child is in a K12 School Program, cookies will help you and the child use the K12 Online School ("OLS").
We may use cookies from other companies to provide relevant information to you. These cookies may record that you visited our Sites and the websites you visited before visiting our Sites. These cookies can be used to provide relevant information to you on other websites.
You can accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually change your browser setting to decline cookies. Use the “help” feature of your browser to learn more. If you decline cookies, you may not be able to see or use the interactive features of our Sites and some services on the Sites may not function the way they should.
You can opt out of the use of third party cookies for marketing messages on other websites by visiting the Digital Advertising Alliance Consumer Choice Page and the Network Advertising Initiative opt out page and opting out with companies that participate in those choices. On this policy’s effective date, those sites were at http://www.aboutads.info/choices and http://www.networkadvertising.org/choices. Opting out will not prevent you from seeing ads on the Internet; it will only affect ads that use cookies to serve messaging on the specific networks. We are not responsible for the activities of the third parties.
Does K12 share information collected from cookies?
We will not share or sell individual information contained in cookies to any third party, except if required by law or permitted to do so for law enforcement purposes.
What personally identifiable information does K12 collect?
You can use parts of our Sites without providing PI. Our Sites do not collect personal information about people except when the information is given on a voluntary basis (for example, when registering with a Local School for a K12 School Program; requesting information by contacting us; signing up for a K12 in-person event; requesting help; using an online chat; or changing the information on your account with us). When you create an account with us, register your children for a K12 School Program or participate in a Local School, you provide us with information about you and your children. This personal information may be collected on our Sites, by telephone, facsimile or ordinary mail. The information you provide may include first and last name; postal address; telephone number; the names and ages of your children; the services you request; registration and enrollment information about your children; an e-mail address where We can contact you; and other information. If you are enrolling in one of K12's private schools or making a purchase from the K12 store, We may also collect credit card information.
Does K12 share personally identifiable information?
Information you provide may be given to your Local School or to others parties if legally required or if requested by your Local School. Information you or the child provide may be given to state and federal agencies, including law enforcement if required or permitted by law.
If others help K12 provide online services, they are given the least information needed to do their work for K12, as required by law. They have no other rights to the information and have agreed to keep the data private, to use it only to perform the work they provide for K12 and to keep the data safe.
If allowed by law, K12 may share your information with companies that are not connected to K12 but want to send you information about their products or services. If permitted by state and federal law, K12 may share your information with other companies to improve the education performance of K12 School Programs or so that K12 can offer services to you or give you information about services of third parties. You can ask that your personal information not be shared with third parties by writing to privacy[at]K12.com.
K12 does not sell PI for monetary compensation. Even though we do not sell PI, if you are a Nevada resident, you may notify us to put you on a list of persons who have opted-out of the sale of PI. Our address for such requests is privacy[at]K12.com. Please be aware that we may require you to verify your identity before processing any such request.
How does K12 use personally identifiable information?
K12 uses PI to provide educational services to children enrolled in a Local School, and to otherwise support you and your children for things such as testing, academic progress, attendance, customer service, student affairs or for health or safety purposes. K12 may also use PI to protect its own legal rights.
K12 responds to requests for information and to questions from customers and possible customers. Because We only call customers at the telephone numbers they leave for us to provide the requested information, K12 does not call people by using random or sequential telephone numbers. K12 may use pre-recorded messages when allowed by law to make sure that customers receive the information they requested. Customers do not have to agree to receive calls in order to receive K12’s services.
Once you have registered your children in a Local School for a K12 School Program, there will be a page that contains some or all of the personal information. You may also be assigned a Member ID and password and may create, if you wish, a Member ID for your children any time you are logged on to the OLS. If you choose someone other than yourself as a learning coach, that person will also be assigned a Member ID. The Member IDs will be used to recognize you, the learning coach and your children on the OLS. The Member IDs will allow K12 to recognize: your first and last name; registration ID; type of account, such as teacher, administrator, parent, learning coach or student (if you created a separate Member ID and password for your children or learning coach); your child’s Local School; integration number; the e-mail address you gave, and the education records of your child connected with the account. The Member IDs and the OLS will allow you and the learning coach to track your children's attendance, school work, and testing, and to submit that to K12 or your Local School to follow your children's progress and comply with law.
K12 or your Local School may use PI you provide to contact you or your child’s learning coach about your child's progress, testing, attendance, or other school issues or for customer service, and quality control. The PI is also used to provide services to you or your child’s Local School or to carry out activities that you or your child’s Local School have requested. K12 also uses PI you supply to satisfy requests for information, and to deliver requested services to you and your children.
K12 will use or share PI if required to do so by law, such as a court order, or permitted to do so for law enforcement, health or safety purposes or to protect K12’s legal rights.
If permitted by law, K12 may use your information to provide you with information about new products or services available through K12 and may combine PI to improve the educational experience or to determine how K12’s educational products and services may interest other people.
How does K12 treat information about children under 13 years old?
The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) protects the privacy of children under the age of 13. It requires web site operators and online services to post privacy policies and obtain true parental permission before collecting information from those children.
K12 receives personal information about children who are under the age of 13 strictly from their parents or guardians when those children are enrolled into a Local School using a K12 School Program. The only information received directly from your children is the information they provide (such as test answers, electronic mail and class discussions) in the OLS as part of their education in a K12 School Program.
Other than through the OLS, the Sites do not ask children under 13 to provide personal information. We do not intentionally contact or collect PI from children under 13 except as noted above.
If you want to tell us that We accidentally received information for a child under the age of 13, for example, by lying by others, please email us at privacy[at]K12.com. Also, you can review some personal information that K12 has about your children by writing to that same email address.
For information on COPPA and the use of children's personal information, please contact:
K12 Legal Department
2300 Corporate Park Drive
Herndon, VA 20171
privacy@k12.com
What are my California privacy rights?
If you are a California resident you can request information about the disclosure of your personal information for direct marketing purposes of other entities. You can also tell K12 not to disclose PI to others for their direct marketing purposes. You can do so by emailing us at privacy@k12.com.
As of January 1, 2016, the Student Online Personal Information Protection Act became effective in California. K12 protects "covered information" consistent with the new law.
What information is collected or shared on message boards and chats?
We may have message boards or chat rooms on our Sites. The information you put on a message board or in a chat room will be available to all users of that message board or chat room, and is no longer private. We cannot promise privacy of information that you disclose online in public areas. Disclosure is at your own risk. We reserve the right, but not the duty, to monitor the message boards and to publish your postings from message boards or chat rooms in other places on the Internet or in other formats.
What happens when I link to other websites from K12's Sites?
The Sites may contain links to other websites that We provide for your convenience ("Linked Sites"). These sites are not under K12’s control. K12 is not responsible for the content on any Linked Site or the actions of any Linked Site. The links do not suggest that K12 recommends the Linked Site. K12 has no liability for your access to the Linked Sites. Access to the Linked Sites is at your own risk. You should review the Privacy Policy that may be on the Linked Sites because those websites are not covered by this Privacy Policy.
What is K12's commitment to data security?
To reduce the risk of unauthorized access, maintain data accuracy, and secure the correct use of information, We use commercially reasonable physical, electronic, and managerial procedures to protect the information We collect. We also use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol on your account information and registration pages to protect personal information. We encrypt credit card numbers that you provide to us. No security system for data is completely secure. Therefore, K12 cannot promise that PI you supply will not be intercepted by others.
What happens if K12's corporate structure changes?
If all or part of K12 is sold, merged or transferred to another business, the personal information you have given may be transferred as part of that process. However, K12 will take steps to assure that the personal information is used in a manner consistent with this Privacy Policy.
Will this Privacy Policy change?
We may change this policy to be consistent with the law and our practices. We reserve the right to do that at any time. If K12 materially changes its use of your personal information, We will inform you of the change on the OLS, and will note it in this Privacy Policy. We will post any changes to this policy. The effective date of this Privacy Policy is stated below. If you have any questions about K12's Privacy Policy, please contact us in writing at privacy@k12.com.
Privacy Policy last updated November 21, 2019.