Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

MeritBoard LLC ("we", "us", or "our") operates MeritBoard, an AI-powered contest platform for K-12 teachers. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your information when you use our Service.

We are committed to protecting student privacy. We comply with applicable laws including FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) and COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act).

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Teacher Information

When you create an account, we collect:

• Full name
• School-issued email address
• School name and location
• Password (encrypted)
• Payment information (processed securely by Stripe, not stored by us)

2.2 Student Information

Teachers may upload the following student information:

• First and last name
• Grade level
• Student work/submissions (photos, artwork, etc.)
• Optional: artwork titles

Important: We do not collect student email addresses, birthdates, Social Security numbers, or other sensitive personal information. Teachers are responsible for obtaining proper parental consent before uploading student work.

2.3 Automatically Collected Information

When you use the Service, we automatically collect:

• IP address
• Browser type and version
• Device information
• Usage data (pages visited, features used, time spent)
• Cookies and similar tracking technologies

3. How We Use Your Information

We use collected information to:

• Provide and maintain the Service
• Process contest submissions and generate AI-powered rankings
• Send account notifications and contest updates
• Process payments and manage subscriptions
• Improve our Service and develop new features
• Provide customer support
• Detect and prevent fraud or abuse
• Comply with legal obligations

4. AI Processing and OpenAI

We use OpenAI's Vision API to analyze student submissions and generate contest rankings. When you submit student work for judging:

• Images are sent to OpenAI for analysis
• Student names may be included in prompts for results generation
• OpenAI processes this data according to their privacy policy and API terms
• We do not use student data to train AI models

OpenAI's data usage policy: https://openai.com/policies/privacy-policy

5. Data Sharing and Third Parties

We share information with the following third parties to operate the Service:

5.1 Service Providers

• Supabase: Database hosting and authentication
• Vercel: Web hosting and deployment
• Stripe: Payment processing (does not receive student data)
• OpenAI: AI contest judging (receives images and names for analysis)

5.2 Public Results Pages

Teachers can choose to make contest results publicly viewable via shareable URLs. Public results may include:

• Student first and last names
• Contest rankings
• Student artwork/submissions
• AI-generated feedback (if configured)

Teachers control what is shared publicly and can make results private at any time.

5.3 We Do NOT:

• Sell student data to third parties
• Use student data for advertising or marketing
• Share data with data brokers
• Display targeted ads to students

6. Data Retention

Teacher Accounts: We retain your account data for as long as your account is active, plus 90 days after account closure for backup and legal purposes.

Student Data: Teachers can delete student records and submissions at any time. Upon request, we will delete all student data within 30 days, except where required to retain for legal compliance.

Contest Data: Completed contests and results are retained indefinitely unless deleted by the teacher.

7. Data Security

We implement security measures including:

• Encryption in transit (HTTPS/TLS)
• Encryption at rest for sensitive data
• Secure authentication (hashed passwords)
• Regular security updates and monitoring
• Restricted access to student data (teacher-only)

However, no system is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security but will notify you of any data breaches as required by law.

8. Student Privacy (FERPA & COPPA Compliance)

8.1 FERPA Compliance

MeritBoard acts as a "School Official" under FERPA when teachers use our Service for legitimate educational purposes. We use student data solely to provide the Service and do not re-disclose education records without consent.

8.2 COPPA Compliance

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent. Teachers represent that they have obtained all necessary parental permissions before uploading student work.

If we learn that we have collected information from a child under 13 without consent, we will delete it immediately.

9. Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access: Request a copy of your data
• Correction: Update inaccurate information
• Deletion: Request deletion of your account and data
• Portability: Export your contest data
• Opt-Out: Unsubscribe from marketing emails

To exercise these rights, contact us at support@mymeritboard.com

10. Cookies and Tracking

We use cookies and similar technologies to:

• Keep you logged in
• Remember your preferences
• Analyze usage patterns (via Google Analytics)
• Improve the Service

You can disable cookies in your browser settings, but some features may not work properly.

11. International Users

MeritBoard is based in the United States. If you access the Service from outside the U.S., your data may be transferred to and processed in the U.S. By using the Service, you consent to this transfer.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last Updated" date. Continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance.

13. Children's Privacy Rights (California)

California residents under 18 have the right to request removal of content they posted. Contact us to request removal of student-generated content.

14. Contact Us

For privacy-related questions or to exercise your rights, contact us at:

Email: support@mymeritboard.com
Company: MeritBoard LLC