How does Classroom Hero Protect Children’s Personal Information?
Children's Privacy Policy
Protecting children's privacy is especially important to us - we're educators ourselves and understand the critical importance of maintaining student privacy and safety in educational technology platforms. As a classroom management and gamification platform designed specifically for educational environments, Classroom Hero is committed to implementing robust privacy protections for all student users.
While Classroom Hero is currently in the process of pursuing formal privacy certifications, we have designed our platform with COPPA compliance as a fundamental principle from the ground up. Our data collection practices, parental consent procedures, and student privacy protections are structured to meet and exceed COPPA requirements, ensuring that children's personal information is handled with the utmost care and security.
Classroom Hero is committed to responsible stewardship, protection, and transparent handling of student personal information. We believe in providing clear, understandable information to parents, teachers, and school administrators about how we collect, use, and protect student data within our gamification platform.
For more information about COPPA and generally protecting children's online privacy, please visit OnGuard Online.
We have also prepared a Student Data Privacy Addendum, an agreement we enter into with schools and teachers, that further describes our duties, responsibilities, and commitments with respect to Student Data that we collect or receive through our classroom management platform.
This Children's Privacy Policy explains our information collection, disclosure, and parental consent practices with respect to information provided by children, and uses terms that are defined in our general Services Privacy Policy. For our full Services Privacy Policy please see here. Any terms not defined in this Children's Privacy Policy are defined in the Services Privacy Policy. This policy is in accordance with the U.S. Children's Online Privacy Protection Act and its implementing regulations under the Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule (collectively "COPPA").
Classroom Hero extends the U.S-based COPPA consent protections in all jurisdictions, even if not required. If we rely on other legally applicable grounds for processing children's personal information (e.g. if we rely on legitimate interest in the European Union and the United Kingdom when acting as a Controller), we will still use the FTC COPPA consent methods described to provide further transparency for parents.
Important Note for Parents and Educators: Classroom Hero operates as a teacher-controlled platform where students cannot create accounts independently. All student accounts are created and managed through teacher-provided classroom codes, ensuring that appropriate educational oversight is maintained at all times. Students access the platform exclusively through their teacher's classroom, providing an additional layer of protection and supervision.
Our Commitment to Student Privacy
We do not collect demographic information about students.
Student data is retained only as long as teachers maintain their accounts.
Teachers have full control over student data and can delete individual student records or entire classes at any time.
We use secure, anonymized identifiers to protect student identity.
All data transmission is protected using SSL encryption.
We do not share student data with third parties for commercial purposes.
Summary
Classroom Hero is designed with COPPA compliance as a core principle, implements comprehensive student privacy protections, and extends U.S.-based COPPA consent protections to all jurisdictions, even where not required. Our platform operates under direct teacher supervision with robust controls for data management and deletion.
What Information does Classroom Hero collect from Children?
Information Collection
We collect two types of information from children: (1) information collected from children, including information that children voluntarily provide us by using the Services (described below under "Information Children Provide to Us") and information about children from their educator as described below under the "Information Collected About the Child from Educators Combined with Children's Data" section; and (2) information collected automatically as result of children's use of the Services (described below under "Information We Collect Automatically").
The statements we make regarding the information we collect from or about students using Classroom Hero through a Student Account, and how we use this information applies equally to all students regardless of their age. Accordingly, where this Privacy Policy references students or any information collected from or about students, it applies to students under 13 years old and over 13 years old.
Information Collected From Children
Classroom Hero collects the minimum amount of information from students necessary to register for an account on the Service. Additionally, Classroom Hero will not condition a child's participation in an online activity on the Service on the child providing more personal information than is reasonably necessary to participate in the Service. If we discover that we have collected information from a child in a manner inconsistent with COPPA, we will take appropriate steps to either delete the information or immediately seek the parent's consent for that collection. This information is necessary to enable us to comply with legal obligations and given our legitimate interest in being able to provide and improve the Service and for security and safety purposes.
We collect information from children in the following ways:
Student Accounts
Student Account Creation
Currently, Student Accounts are created exclusively by the student's teacher. Students cannot create accounts independently and must use teacher-provided classroom codes to access the platform.
By the student's teacher: When a student's teacher elects to utilize Student Accounts in their classroom, the school will be responsible for providing parental consent under COPPA. Teachers may provide parental consent through what is commonly referred to as "school consent" under COPPA, where teachers have certified that they are acting as the agent of the parent and consenting on the parent's behalf to create the Student Account on behalf of the student and let students use the Service for educational purposes. For clarity, while it is Classroom Hero's obligation to comply with COPPA as a whole, we rely on schools to provide consent under COPPA by acting as the agent of the parent, but only after providing the school with the required notices set forth here. For more information on "school consent" under COPPA, please see the FTC's FAQ Section N as well as the FTC's Policy Statement on Education Technology and COPPA.
The teacher will provide the student's name to set up the account. We don't ask students to enter any other personal information for their account registration when a teacher sets up their account. Students access their accounts exclusively through unique classroom codes provided by their teachers.
Student Account Access and Security
Students log into their accounts using teacher-provided classroom codes. After inputting a Class Code, students select their student record from their teacher's roster. Students may optionally set a 4-digit account code to prevent other students from accessing their account, though teachers can override this security measure when necessary. To maintain login sessions, we generate temporary JWTs (JSON Web Tokens).
Student Activities and Engagement
Points and Rewards System
Students earn points through teacher-defined "Actions" - rewards for behaviors or achievements that teachers specify (such as reading aloud in class, raising hands, completing homework, etc.). The points students earn use a custom virtual currency that teachers define when creating their class. Teachers track why and when students were rewarded through the Action system.
Students can spend their earned classroom currency by purchasing items from their teacher's virtual Marketplace. Items may be configured for immediate purchase by students, manual sale by teachers, or as "request to buy" where students submit purchase requests requiring teacher approval.
Power Tokens and Avatar System
Students earn up to 15 Power Tokens per day (or 50 depending on the teacher's pricing plan). Power Tokens are a separate Classroom Hero currency used exclusively for purchasing avatar accessories for their virtual avatar. Students can customize their avatar's skin tone, hair, clothing, accessories, headgear, shoes, and other appearance features.
Students can take "selfies" of their avatars (screenshot functionality) and can view other students in their class, seeing only names and avatars. A daily point claim feature allows students to earn one avatar token per day.
Quiz and Assessment Features
Students may complete AI-generated quizzes created by their teachers to earn both classroom currency and Power Tokens. We collect quiz completion data and scores, which are viewable by teachers. Students earn rewards for completing these educational assessments.
Open-World Game (Mysteria)
Students have access to an optional open-world web-based game called "Mysteria" where they can explore and search for treasure chests to earn additional Power Tokens. Teachers can enable or disable this game feature at any time, and it defaults to disabled. We collect data about treasure chests found, game progress, and maintain a classroom-only leaderboard showing which students have discovered the most treasure chests. The leaderboard displays avatars rather than student names.
Information Collected from Educators Combined with Children's Data
While not collected directly from the child, teachers, School Leaders, and authorized members of the school staff may provide the personal information set forth below about a child which we will link or combine with the information listed above that we collect from the child.
Teachers and School Leaders about students:
Basic Information: The child's first and last name may be provided by teachers when setting up their class. Teachers can choose to provide full names or opt to only provide non-identifying information (e.g., just first name and seat number). We do not collect demographic information such as age, date of birth, or grade level.
Points and Actions: Points awarded to children by teachers through the Action system, including the reason for the reward and when it was given. These points can only be viewed by the child, the child's teacher (who awarded them), and School Leaders. If the teacher chooses to display totals to the class, other students in the class may be able to see each other's aggregated totals (but not individual feedback points).
Marketplace Transactions: Records of items purchased by students from the teacher's virtual marketplace, including what was purchased and when, to maintain accurate point accounting and transaction history.
Class Goals and Progress: Information about long-term class objectives and student participation in achieving these goals.
Artificial Intelligence ("AI") Tools: Teachers may use AI-powered tools to generate quizzes, assignments, and other educational content. When students complete these AI-generated activities, we collect completion data, responses, and performance metrics. Teachers may also use AI tools for administrative tasks like generating class lists or organizing student information.
Information We Collect Automatically
In addition to the information listed above, we automatically collect some information from any use of our Service as set forth below.
The device and application related data is collected from the device and application being utilized to give the child access to Classroom Hero accounts.
This includes:
Device information: We collect device-specific information such as your child's device type, device brand, operating system, hardware version and settings, device settings, file and software names and types, battery and signal strength, device tokens (to send push notifications) and device identifiers (including unique device IDs). We may also collect device event information such as crashes, system activity, browser type, browser language, the date and time of your child's request and referral URL. This helps us measure how the Service is performing, improve Classroom Hero for your child on their particular device, and send push notifications if you've opted in to receive them.
Server log information: Like most online services, when your child uses our Service we automatically collect and store certain information in our server logs. Examples include things like IP address and details of how the Service was used, such as activity on the Service. We may use IP address information to help diagnose problems with our servers, for security purposes, and to manage the Service. We automatically delete IP addresses tracked in server logs after six months.
Product events: As children interact with the product, we collect product events about how the product is being used, which features are used, which buttons are clicked, load time, etc. These include events such as points earned, treasure chests found in Mysteria, avatar customizations made, quiz completions, and marketplace purchases. These are collected to provide the Services, including for internal analysis on product usage and quality. Our product event logs may also include unique device IDs and IP addresses. We automatically delete IP addresses tracked in product logs after six months.
Local storage: We may use temporary JWTs (JSON Web Tokens) to maintain student login sessions. We do not store any student data in the browser's LocalStorage.
Analytics Data: We anonymously push basic usage data to analytics services (PostHog and Google Analytics) to improve the Classroom Hero platform. This data is anonymized and does not include personally identifiable information.
Data We Do NOT Collect
Demographic Information: We do not collect age, date of birth, grade level, gender, or other demographic information about students.
Academic Performance Data: We do not collect official grades, test scores, or academic performance data required by schools or districts. Our quiz system is separate from official academic assessments.
Location Data: We never request precise geolocation data from students and no student location data is made publicly available.
Social Security Numbers or Government IDs: We do not collect any government-issued identification numbers.
Payment Information: Students cannot make any payments through the platform.
Summary
We don't ask for or require children to provide personal information beyond that which is reasonably necessary to use Classroom Hero. We collect only the minimum information needed to provide our gamification and classroom management services, with strong emphasis on teacher control and student privacy protection.
How does Classroom Hero use information it collects from Children?
How We Use Children's Information
First and foremost, you should know that Classroom Hero does not sell or rent any of your child's personal information to any third party for any purpose – including for advertising or marketing purposes. Information collected from students (including personal information and information collected automatically) is never used or disclosed for third-party advertising. We also do not place any third-party advertisements in student logged in areas of the Service. Additionally, personal information collected from students is never used for behaviorally-targeted advertising to students by us or any third-party.
We also offer a Student Data Privacy Addendum, an agreement we enter into with schools or districts that further describes our duties, responsibilities, and commitments with respect to Student Data that we collect or receive and may further limit our uses of Student Data from the uses set forth in the Children's Privacy Policy.
Classroom Hero commits that its collection, use, retention, and sharing of personal information shall be reasonably necessary and proportionate to achieve the purposes for which the personal information was collected or processed and for the purposes disclosed in this Children's Privacy Policy and that the personal information will not be further processed in a manner incompatible with these purposes.
Our uses of your child's personal information are set forth below:
Primary Uses
We use the information we collect from students (or about students from teachers and School Leaders):
To provide and improve the Service for the child, including:
Managing student accounts and classroom access through teacher-provided codes
Tracking and displaying student points earned through teacher-defined Actions
Enabling student purchases from teacher-created virtual marketplaces
Providing avatar customization features and Power Token management
Operating the optional Mysteria open-world game for treasure hunting activities
Delivering AI-generated quizzes and educational content created by teachers
Maintaining classroom leaderboards and progress tracking
Sending in-app notifications to your child (e.g., notify of sold items, actions completed)
For educational purposes, including:
Supporting teacher-defined reward systems and classroom management
Enabling gamification features that encourage student engagement
Providing progress tracking for educational activities and achievements
Supporting Class Goals and collaborative classroom objectives
For internal analytics on product usage:
Understanding how students interact with the platform to improve functionality
Analyzing feature usage to enhance the educational experience
Measuring platform performance and user engagement
Anonymized data analysis to improve our services (sent to Google Analytics)
To identify, fix, and troubleshoot bugs and Service errors:
Debugging technical issues students may experience
Improving platform stability and performance
Ensuring smooth operation across different devices and browsers
For security and safety purposes, including:
Enforcing our Terms of Service
Protecting student accounts from unauthorized access
Monitoring for inappropriate content or behavior in the Mysteria game
Maintaining secure login sessions through temporary JWT tokens
Preventing abuse of the avatar and marketplace systems
To comply with legal process or other laws
As allowed by law
AI Uses
Teacher-Generated AI Content
Students interact with AI-generated content in a limited, controlled manner through teacher-created quizzes and educational activities. Students do not directly input information into AI systems – they only respond to AI-generated content that teachers have created specifically for their classroom.
Student Interaction with AI-Generated Content:
Students can complete AI-generated quizzes created by their teachers
Student responses and completion data are collected to track educational progress
Students earn classroom currency and Power Tokens for completing these educational activities
Quiz performance data is shared with teachers for educational assessment purposes
Teacher AI Tools (Impact on Students): Teachers use AI Classroom Tools to generate educational content including quizzes, assignments, and other learning materials. When teachers create this content:
AI-generated quizzes and assignments are delivered to students through the platform
Student completion data and responses are collected and provided to teachers
This information helps teachers assess student understanding and progress
Data obtained from student interactions with AI-generated content may be used by Classroom Hero to improve and maintain the Service and perform internal analysis
For AI tools used by teachers, we currently use OpenAI and Anthropic as our LLM service providers ("LLM Service Providers"). Any student information that may be included in teacher-generated AI content is handled with "zero data retention" by these providers beyond transient processing to provide the Service. This means that any student information in prompts, inputs, and outputs (1) will not be logged for human review by the LLM Service Providers and (2) will not be retained by the LLM Service Provider.
Important AI Limitations for Students:
Students do not directly interact with AI tools or provide inputs to AI systems
Students cannot generate their own AI content
All AI-generated content students see has been created and approved by their teachers
Student personal information is not used to train any AI models
Classroom Hero does not use any children's personal information to train any of Classroom Hero's artificial intelligence models, but does reserve the right to use de-identified information. Additionally, Classroom Hero does not allow OpenAI, Anthropic, or any other LLM or AI third-party service provider it may utilize to use any children's information (personal information or de-identified) to train, improve or develop their artificial intelligence models.
Data Processing Principles
Teacher Control: All student data usage is controlled by teachers and school administrators. Teachers can delete student records, classes, or entire accounts at any time.
Educational Purpose: All data usage is focused on supporting educational activities and classroom management within the teacher's defined learning environment.
Minimal Collection: We collect only the minimum information necessary to provide our gamification and classroom management services.
No Commercial Use: Student data is never used for commercial purposes, marketing, or advertising.
Anonymization: When possible, we use anonymized identifiers and aggregate data rather than personally identifiable information.
Summary
Information collected from students is never used or disclosed for third-party advertising or any kind of behaviorally-targeted advertising, and it is never sold or rented to anyone, including marketers or advertisers. Student data is used exclusively to provide our educational gamification platform, with strong teacher control and oversight.
Classroom Hero provides AI-generated educational content through teacher-created quizzes and assignments. Students interact with this AI-generated content in a controlled, supervised manner, but do not directly provide inputs to AI systems. All AI-generated content is created by teachers for educational purposes within their classrooms.
Push Notifications
Notifications
Classroom Hero may send in-app notifications to students through our web-based platform. Important Note: Students cannot sign into our mobile apps and will never receive push notifications on mobile devices. All notifications are delivered exclusively as in-app notifications when students are actively using the Classroom Hero platform through their web browser.
Before sending any in-app notifications to a child, we rely on teachers to provide necessary parental consent under COPPA (acting as the agent of the parent and consenting on their behalf) when they set up the child's Student Account. Since all Student Accounts are created exclusively by teachers using our classroom management system, parental consent for in-app notifications is obtained through the school consent process.
Types of In-App Notifications
We send in-app notifications to students in the following circumstances:
Reward Notifications: When a student completes a teacher-defined Action and earns points, they receive an in-app notification confirming their reward and the points earned.
Marketplace Notifications: When a teacher sells an item to a student from the virtual marketplace, or when a teacher approves a student's "request to buy" purchase, the student receives an in-app notification confirming the transaction.
Achievement Notifications: Students may receive in-app notifications for reaching certain milestones, such as leveling up, finding treasure chests in the Mysteria game, or earning Power Tokens.
Class Goal Updates: Students may receive notifications about progress toward Class Goals or when Class Goals are achieved.
These in-app notifications are designed to enhance student engagement with the educational gamification features and provide immediate feedback on their classroom activities and achievements.
Teacher and School Control
Teachers maintain full control over student notifications and can:
Adjust notification settings for their classroom
Turn off specific types of notifications if desired
Monitor and manage how students receive feedback through the platform
Since all notifications are delivered through our web-based platform during active use, students will only see these notifications when they are logged into Classroom Hero through their teacher's classroom code.
Opting Out of Notifications
If you are a teacher, school administrator, or parent of a child and no longer want these in-app notifications to be sent, you can:
Contact the child's teacher to adjust classroom notification settings
Contact us directly at [privacy@classroomhero.com] to discuss notification preferences
Teachers can modify notification settings through their dashboard at any time
Device and Platform Limitations
Unlike traditional push notifications that appear on mobile devices even when apps are closed, Classroom Hero's in-app notifications:
Only appear when students are actively using the platform
Are delivered through the web browser interface
Do not require device-level notification permissions
Cannot be sent to mobile devices since students cannot access mobile apps
Do not collect or store device tokens for push notification services
Summary
Classroom Hero sends in-app notifications only through our web-based platform when students are actively using the service. Students cannot access mobile apps and will never receive mobile push notifications. All notifications are controlled by teachers through the school consent process under COPPA, and teachers can adjust or disable notification settings at any time. Parents can contact us or their child's teacher to modify notification preferences.
Does Classroom Hero Disclose any information it collects from Children?
When and How We Disclose Children's Information
We do not disclose any personal information about children to third parties, except to service providers (e.g., DigitalOcean for database hosting) necessary to provide the Service, authorized school personnel (such as teachers and School Leaders), as directed by the child's school, as required by law, or to protect the security of the Service or other users.
Service Providers
Classroom Hero uses the following categories of service providers that may have access to student information:
Essential Infrastructure Providers:
DigitalOcean: Database hosting and management (PostgreSQL database)
Stripe: Payment processing (for teacher and school leader subscriptions only - students cannot make payments)
Analytics and Improvement Services:
PostHog: Anonymous analytics data to improve the platform (student data is anonymized before sharing)
Google Analytics: Basic usage analytics (student data is anonymized before sharing)
AI and Educational Content Providers:
OpenAI and Anthropic: Large Language Model providers for teacher AI tools (with zero data retention contracts for any student information)
These service providers are integral to providing the Classroom Hero educational platform. We have contractual agreements with all service providers to ensure they handle student data appropriately and in compliance with COPPA and our privacy commitments.
Authorized School Personnel
Student information may be shared with:
The student's teacher who created their account
School Leaders who have oversight of the teacher's classroom
School administrators authorized by the educational institution
Teacher Assistants invited by the primary teacher
Important Limitation: Unlike some educational platforms, Classroom Hero does not currently have parent communication features, so student information is not shared with parents through our platform. Teachers maintain control over what information, if any, they share with parents outside of the Classroom Hero system.
Legal and Safety Disclosures
We may disclose student information:
As required by law or legal process
To protect the security and safety of the Service or other users
To respond to lawful requests from authorities
To enforce our Terms of Service when necessary for safety
Aggregated and De-Identified Data
As allowed by applicable laws and in compliance with our Student Data Privacy Addendum, we may share aggregated or de-identified information, which cannot reasonably be used to identify your child, with third parties for various purposes, including:
Compliance with reporting obligations
Demonstrating how the Service is used for educational research
Assisting third parties in understanding educational technology usage patterns
Improving educational gamification methods
This aggregated data might include information such as:
General usage statistics across all classrooms
Anonymized engagement patterns with gamification features
De-identified effectiveness metrics for educational activities
Aggregate data about avatar customization preferences or game activity
Data Disclosure Controls
Teacher Control: Teachers can delete individual student records, entire classes, or their complete account at any time, which removes all associated student data from our systems.
No Parent Accounts: Since Classroom Hero operates exclusively through teacher-managed accounts, there are no parent-controlled data sharing settings. All data sharing decisions are managed by the educational institution and the student's teacher.
School Agreements: If your school or district has entered into a custom Student Data Privacy Addendum, any additional restrictions on the disclosure of Student Data or de-identified data will be set forth in that agreement.
What We Do NOT Disclose
Commercial Purposes: We never disclose student information to third parties for commercial, marketing, or advertising purposes.
Social Media: Student information is never shared with social media platforms or similar services.
Data Brokers: We do not sell or provide student data to data brokers or similar commercial entities.
Unauthorized Third Parties: Student information is never shared with parties not essential to providing our educational service.
Individual Student Performance: We do not share individual student performance data outside of the authorized school personnel mentioned above.
Verification and Control
Schools and teachers can request information about our service providers and their data handling practices by contacting us. Teachers have dashboard access to view and manage all student data in their classrooms, and can export or delete this information at any time.
Summary
We do not disclose any personal information about children to third parties, except to essential service providers necessary to operate our educational platform, authorized school personnel (teachers and School Leaders), as required by law, or to protect the security of the Service. We may share aggregated or de-identified information that cannot be used to identify individual children for educational research and reporting purposes. Teachers maintain full control over student data and can delete it at any time.
What Children's information is visible to others?
Visibility and Public Display of Children's Information
No Student's Account or profile is made available or visible to the general public through Classroom Hero. Classroom Hero does not knowingly post any child's personal information publicly online.
School Use
For students using Classroom Hero in the classroom, only the student, the student's teacher, School Leaders connected to the child's class, and linked parent accounts can see the student's individual Student Account and progress data. This includes points earned, marketplace purchases, avatar customizations, and game progress.
Parent Account Access: Teachers can link parents to individual students through the platform. When linked, parents can sign in to view basic information about their student's profile and progress. However, Classroom Hero does not currently have parent-to-teacher communication features or messaging systems. Parent access is limited to viewing their own child's account information only.
What Teachers, School Leaders, and Linked Parents Can See:
Student's points earned through teacher-defined Actions
Marketplace transaction history (items purchased and when)
Avatar customizations and appearance choices
Progress in the Mysteria open-world game (treasure chests found)
Quiz completion data and scores
Class Goal participation and progress
Student's first name (and last name if provided by teacher)
What Other Students Can See
Limited Classroom Visibility:
Other students in the same class can see each other's names and avatars
If a teacher chooses to display aggregated point totals to the class, students may see each other's total points (but not individual point-earning actions or reasons)
Students cannot access each other's individual accounts or detailed progress data
Classroom Leaderboards:
Students can view a classroom-only leaderboard showing which students have found the most treasure chests in the Mysteria game
The leaderboard displays avatars rather than student names for additional privacy protection
Avatar Visibility:
When students interact in the same classroom environment, their customized avatars are visible to classmates
Avatar customizations made by students are visible when they participate in classroom activities
Account Security and Access
Students access their accounts exclusively through teacher-provided classroom codes. After entering a class code, students select their own name from their teacher's roster. Students may optionally set a 4-digit security code to prevent other students from accidentally accessing their account, though teachers can override this when necessary for classroom management.
Teacher Controls for Privacy
Teachers have several options to control student information visibility:
Teachers can choose whether to display point totals to the class or keep them private
Teachers can enable or disable the Mysteria game feature entirely
Teachers can control whether students can see aggregated class statistics
Teachers can delete individual student records or entire classes at any time
Marketplace and Points
Individual marketplace purchases are private between the student and teacher
Point-earning activities and their reasons are visible only to the student, teacher, and School Leaders
Class Goals progress may be visible to all students in the class as it's a collaborative feature
No Public Sharing
Student accounts and profiles are never visible to the general public
No student information is shared on social media or public websites
Student data cannot be accessed by users outside the specific classroom environment
Technical Privacy Protections
Anonymous Analytics: When usage data is shared with our analytics providers (PostHog, Google Analytics), all student information is anonymized and cannot be traced back to individual students.
Secure Identifiers: We use MD5 hashed usernames and secure identifiers rather than storing easily identifiable information.
Session Management: Temporary JWT tokens are used to maintain secure login sessions without storing persistent personal information on devices.
What We Do NOT Make Visible
No Social Features: Classroom Hero does not include social networking features, friend lists, or student-to-student messaging.
No Parent Communication Features: While parents can be linked to view their child's basic account information, Classroom Hero does not include parent-to-teacher messaging, communication tools, or collaborative features between parents and teachers.
No Public Profiles: Student profiles are never made public or searchable.
No Cross-School Visibility: Students from different schools or classes cannot see each other's information.
No Performance Data Sharing: Individual academic performance data is not shared with other students.
Data Deletion and Control
Teachers maintain full control over student visibility and can:
Delete individual student accounts and all associated data
Remove entire classes and all student information
Adjust privacy settings for their classroom
Export student data before deletion if needed for educational records
Summary
No Student's Account or profile is made available or visible to the general public through Classroom Hero. Within the classroom, students can see each other's names, avatars, and limited aggregated information like point totals (if the teacher chooses to display them). Teachers, School Leaders, and linked parents have access to individual student progress for educational and family engagement purposes. Classroom Hero includes basic parent account linking but does not have parent-to-teacher communication features, keeping the focus on the student's educational gamification experience.
How long does Classroom Hero keep Children's information?
Retention and Deletion of Children's Information
Retention and deletion of Student Data and education records is at the direction of the school and the individual teacher. We enter into Student Data Privacy Addendums with schools or districts that further describes our duties, responsibilities, and commitments with respect to Student Data that we collect or receive.
Classroom Hero will not retain a child's personal information for any longer than is reasonably necessary for educational purposes or legal obligations, or to provide the Service for which we receive or collect the child's personal information. Additionally, we only keep a child's personal information for as long as his or her Student Account is active, unless we are required by law or the child's school to retain it, need it to ensure the security of our community or our Service, or to enforce our Terms.
More specifically, Classroom Hero operates a student data protection policy to protect all students' information ("Student Data Protection Policy"):
Teacher-Controlled Deletion Policy
Immediate Teacher Control: Teachers have complete control over student data retention and can delete individual student records, entire classes, or their complete teacher account at any time. When a teacher deletes their account, all associated class and student data is permanently deleted from our systems.
Individual Data Management: Teachers can delete specific student records or remove students from classes as needed, permanently removing all associated data including:
Points earned through teacher-defined Actions
Marketplace transaction history
Avatar customizations and preferences
Mysteria game progress and achievements
Quiz completion data and scores
Any other student activity data
Automatic Deletion Policies
Inactive Account Deletion: If a teacher's account is inactive for 12 months or more (meaning the teacher has not logged into their account for 12 months), Classroom Hero will automatically delete the teacher account and all associated student data.
Data Retention Limits: We automatically delete or de-identify certain categories of data:
Server logs and IP addresses are automatically deleted after six months
Product event logs containing IP addresses are deleted after six months
Temporary JWT tokens used for student sessions are deleted when sessions expire
Data Categories and Retention
Student Activity Data:
Points earned and Action completion records: Retained until teacher or school requests deletion
Marketplace purchases and transaction history: Retained until teacher or school requests deletion
Avatar customizations: Retained until teacher or school requests deletion
Mysteria game progress: Retained until teacher or school requests deletion
Quiz responses and completion data: Retained until teacher or school requests deletion
Account Information:
Student names (as provided by teachers): Retained until teacher or school requests deletion
MD5 hashed usernames and secure identifiers: Retained until account deletion
Class assignment data: Retained until teacher or school requests deletion
System Data:
Analytics data sent to PostHog and Google Analytics: Anonymized and retained according to those services' policies
Server logs: Automatically deleted after six months
Crash reports and technical diagnostics: Retained only as long as necessary for system improvement
Legal and Educational Requirements
FERPA Compliance: Certain student activity data may be considered "education records" under FERPA or state student privacy laws. In such cases, we retain this information at the direction of the school for legal compliance purposes.
School Direction: If a school or district requests that we retain specific student data for educational or legal compliance reasons, we will follow those directions as outlined in our Student Data Privacy Addendum.
Legal Obligations: We may retain student information if required by law, needed to ensure platform security, or to enforce our Terms of Service.
Data Deletion Process
Teacher-Initiated Deletion:
Teachers can delete student data immediately through their dashboard
Complete account deletion removes all associated student information
We provide clear instructions on how to delete accounts at https://classroomhero.com/deactivate
Parent-Requested Deletion:
Parents may request data deletion through their child's teacher
Teachers can then immediately delete the requested student information
We do not have direct parent communication features, so all deletion requests go through the educational institution
School-Directed Deletion:
Schools and districts can request deletion of student data at any time
We will promptly comply with school-directed deletion requests
Custom deletion timelines can be established in Student Data Privacy Addendums
Backup and Recovery
Even after deletion, please note that:
Deletion by our service providers (like DigitalOcean) may not be immediate
Deleted information may persist in backup copies for a reasonable period of time
We take daily database snapshots through DigitalOcean for disaster recovery purposes
Backup data is subject to the same deletion policies as primary data
De-identified Data
We may retain de-identified data for as long as we deem appropriate or as otherwise allowed by law, or as further limited by any school or district's Student Data Privacy Addendum. This de-identified data cannot be used to identify individual students and helps us improve our educational platform.
No Long-term Commercial Retention
Unlike some educational technology platforms, Classroom Hero does not retain student data for long-term commercial purposes. Our retention is focused solely on:
Providing the immediate educational service
Complying with legal and educational requirements
Maintaining platform security and functionality
Summary
We only keep a child's personal information for as long as the teacher's account is active, unless we are required by law or the child's school to retain it, or need it to ensure platform security. Teachers have complete control over student data and can delete individual students, entire classes, or their complete account at any time, immediately removing all associated student information. We automatically delete certain system data (like server logs) after six months and will delete teacher accounts that are inactive for over twelve months. We may retain de-identified data for platform improvement purposes as allowed by law or as limited by school agreements.
Parental Choices
Your Parental Rights
At any time, you have the right to (with certain limitations when "school consent" is used):
Access and review your child's information
Direct us to delete your child's information
Refuse to permit us to collect further personal information from your child and request that we delete the personal information that we have already collected from your child
Agree to the collection and use of your child's personal information, but choose not to allow disclosure to certain third parties (unless disclosure is integral to the Service)
Please keep in mind that a request to delete information may affect your child's ability to access the Services or use certain features. To exercise any of these rights, please see below.
Access, Correction, and Deletion Rights under COPPA
We support access to, correction, and deletion of children's personal information by the student or their parent or legal guardian by working with schools and teachers, or by responding to parent requests we receive through schools.
Important Note: Since Classroom Hero operates exclusively through teacher-created Student Accounts with school consent under COPPA, all parental rights requests must be coordinated through your child's school and teacher.
Student Accounts and Parental Access
Viewing Your Child's Information: If your child's teacher has linked your parent account to your child's Student Account, you can sign in to view basic information about your child's progress, including:
Points earned through classroom activities
Avatar customizations
General progress in educational games and activities
Quiz completion status
Limited Parent Features: Unlike some educational platforms, Classroom Hero's parent access is currently limited to viewing your child's basic account information. The platform does not include:
Parent-to-teacher communication or messaging
Parent-to-student communication through the platform
Parent ability to award points or manage rewards
Parent access to detailed academic performance data
Exercising Your Parental Rights
Since all Student Accounts are created and managed by teachers under school consent, please follow these steps to exercise your parental rights:
To Access or Review Your Child's Information:
Through the Platform: If your teacher has linked your parent account, sign in to view your child's basic progress information
Through the School: Contact your child's teacher or appropriate school official to request access to your child's information stored in Classroom Hero
Direct Contact: For additional information, contact us at privacy@classroomhero.com with verification of your identity and your child's school information
To Correct Your Child's Information:
Contact the Teacher: Since teachers control all student data entry, contact your child's teacher to request corrections to any information
School Officials: If needed, contact appropriate school officials who can direct the teacher to make corrections
Through Us: Teachers or school officials can contact us directly to implement corrections on your behalf
To Delete Your Child's Information:
Teacher Control: Your child's teacher can immediately delete your child's account and all associated data through their dashboard
School Request: Contact your child's school to request deletion of your child's data from Classroom Hero
Complete Removal: When a teacher deletes a student account, all associated data is permanently removed, including points, avatar customizations, game progress, and quiz data
To Stop Further Data Collection:
Contact the School: Since data collection occurs through school use, contact your child's teacher or school officials to request that your child's participation in Classroom Hero be discontinued
Account Deletion: Request that your child's teacher delete the student account to stop all further data collection
Verification: We will work with the school to verify your identity and process your request
Third-Party Disclosure Controls
You may agree to the collection and use of your child's personal information but choose not to allow disclosure to certain third parties (unless disclosure is integral to the Service). Since Classroom Hero has limited third-party integrations, our main disclosures are to:
Essential service providers (DigitalOcean for hosting, Stripe for teacher payments)
Analytics services (anonymized data only)
AI service providers for teacher tools (with zero data retention contracts)
If you wish to restrict any non-essential third-party disclosures, please contact your child's school or email us at privacy@classroomhero.com.
Identity Verification
For any parental rights requests, we will need to verify your identity through:
Confirmation of your relationship to the student through the school
Acceptable forms of personal identification
Verification through your child's teacher or school officials
We will use commercially reasonable efforts to process such requests in a timely manner consistent with applicable law.
Important Limitations
School Control: Since Student Accounts are created under school consent, many parental rights must be exercised through your child's educational institution rather than directly with Classroom Hero.
No Direct Parent Management: Parents cannot directly modify, delete, or manage their child's account - these controls remain with teachers and school officials.
Educational Records: Some student activity data may be considered "education records" under FERPA or state student privacy laws and may be retained at the direction of the school for legal compliance reasons.
Account Dependencies: Deleting your child's information may require terminating their account, which would remove their ability to participate in classroom gamification activities.
Summary
We support parents' access to, correction, and deletion of their child's personal information by working with schools and teachers. Since all Student Accounts are created under school consent through teachers, parental rights requests should be directed to your child's teacher or school officials first. Teachers have immediate control over student data and can view, modify, or delete any student information instantly. You can contact us directly at privacy@classroomhero.com for assistance, but most requests will need to be coordinated through your child's school for verification and implementation.
How does Classroom Hero obtain consent?
COPPA Consent Process
Classroom Hero follows the U.S. FTC's COPPA rules for parental consent, including the use of what is commonly referred to as "school consent" when a school or teacher elects to utilize Classroom Hero in the classroom. Classroom Hero will provide all required notices and disclosures for schools to provide to parents when utilizing school consent.
School Consent Process
Primary Consent Method: Since Classroom Hero operates exclusively through teacher-created Student Accounts, we primarily rely on "school consent" under COPPA. This process works as follows:
Teacher Certification: Teachers certify that they are acting as agents of parents when they create Student Accounts for their classroom
Required Notices: We provide schools and teachers with all required COPPA notices and disclosures that must be shared with parents
Educational Purpose: Teachers confirm they are consenting on behalf of parents specifically for educational purposes within the classroom setting
Parental Notification: Schools are responsible for notifying parents about their child's use of Classroom Hero and the data collection involved
School Responsibilities: Under the school consent model:
Schools must provide appropriate notices to parents about Classroom Hero usage
Teachers act as agents of parents in consenting to Student Account creation
Schools are responsible for ensuring parents are informed about the educational technology being used
Any parental concerns or withdrawal requests are handled through the school
Direct Parental Consent (When Available)
Parent Account Linking: When teachers choose to link parent accounts to student accounts, we obtain direct parental consent through the following methods:
Verifiable Parental Consent Methods:
Email Verification: For parent account linking, we use email-based verification where parents must respond to a verification email from the email address they provide
Parent Account Authentication: Parents must create their own account and verify their identity before being linked to their child's student account
School Verification: We may also verify parental consent through coordination with the child's school to confirm the parent's identity and relationship to the student
Consent Process Steps:
Teacher Invitation: Teachers can invite parents to link to their child's account
Identity Verification: Parents must verify their identity through email confirmation and/or school verification
Consent Acknowledgment: Parents must acknowledge they understand what information will be accessible and how it will be used
Account Linking: Once verified, parents can access basic information about their child's progress
What Parents Consent To
When consent is provided (either through school consent or direct parental consent), parents are consenting to:
Data Collection:
Student's name as provided by the teacher
Points earned through teacher-defined classroom activities
Avatar customizations and preferences
Educational game progress (like Mysteria treasure hunting)
Quiz completion data and responses
Marketplace transaction history within the classroom economy
Data Usage:
Providing the gamification and classroom management service
Enabling student engagement with educational activities
Allowing teachers to track student progress and participation
Maintaining student accounts and progress within the teacher's classroom
Limited Data Sharing:
With essential service providers necessary to operate the platform
With the student's teacher and authorized school personnel
With linked parent accounts (basic information only)
As required by law or for platform security
Consent Withdrawal
Through Schools: Parents can withdraw consent by:
Contacting their child's teacher to request account deletion
Requesting through school officials that their child's participation be discontinued
Working with the school to remove their child from Classroom Hero usage
Direct Withdrawal: When direct parental consent is obtained for parent account linking:
Parents can contact us directly to withdraw consent for parent account access
Parents can request deletion of their child's account through our privacy contact
Parents can request that specific data sharing be discontinued
Consent for Children 13 and Over
Although not required under COPPA, Classroom Hero may choose to obtain parental consent for students 13 and above at our discretion, particularly for:
Parent account linking features
Any enhanced data sharing beyond basic educational use
Features that extend beyond standard classroom gamification
International Consent Protections
Classroom Hero extends the U.S.-based COPPA consent protections to all jurisdictions, even where not required by local law. If we rely on other legally applicable grounds for processing children's personal information (such as legitimate interest in the European Union and the United Kingdom), we will still use the FTC COPPA consent methods described above to provide additional transparency and protection for parents.
Technical and Administrative Safeguards
Consent Documentation: We maintain records of:
School consent certifications from teachers
Direct parental consent verifications when obtained
Consent withdrawal requests and their implementation
Required notices provided to schools and parents
Consent Verification: We verify consent through:
Teacher certification processes for school consent
Email verification for direct parental consent
School coordination for identity verification
Documented consent acknowledgment processes
No Consent Required Scenarios
Anonymous Analytics: When we share anonymized usage data with analytics providers (PostHog, Google Analytics), this data cannot identify individual students and does not require additional parental consent beyond the initial school consent for platform usage.
Essential Service Providers: Sharing data with essential service providers (like DigitalOcean for hosting) is covered under the original consent for platform usage, as these are integral to providing the educational service.
Summary
Classroom Hero primarily obtains parental consent through "school consent" under COPPA, where teachers act as agents of parents when creating Student Accounts for educational use. We provide all required notices to schools for distribution to parents. When we offer parent account linking features, we obtain direct verifiable parental consent through email verification and school coordination. Parents can withdraw consent through their child's school or by contacting us directly. We extend COPPA consent protections globally, even where not required by local law.