Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

LCM Education Services LLC, doing business as StarBound (“we,” “us,” or “our”), operates the StarBound education platform at starboundedu.com (the “Platform”). We are committed to protecting the privacy of all users, with special attention to the privacy of children under 13 years of age.

This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, how we protect it, and your rights regarding that information. By using the Platform, you agree to the practices described in this policy.

2. Information We Collect

Account Information

When accounts are created, we collect names, email addresses, phone numbers (optional), grade levels, and school affiliations. Student accounts for children under 13 are created by parents, guardians, or school administrators with appropriate consent.

Educational Records

As students use the Platform, we collect lesson progress, quiz scores, diagnostic test results, learning analytics, and achievement data. This information is used solely to support and improve the educational experience.

Behavioral Data (School Programs)

For students enrolled through schools, teachers and administrators may record behavioral points, marks, flags, and related notes within the Platform. This data is visible to authorized school staff and the student's parent or guardian.

Usage Data

We automatically collect technical information such as browser type, device type, pages visited, and time spent on the Platform. This data is used to improve performance and user experience. We do not use tracking cookies for advertising purposes.

3. How We Use Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide and personalize the educational experience
• Track student progress and generate reports for teachers and parents
• Place students at appropriate learning levels through diagnostic assessments
• Send notifications about student activity (with opt-in consent)
• Improve the Platform's features, content, and performance
• Communicate important updates about accounts or the service
• Ensure the safety and security of all users

We do not sell, rent, or share personal information with third parties for advertising or marketing purposes. We do not display advertisements on the Platform.

4. COPPA Compliance

The Platform serves students in grades K–8, which includes children under 13 years of age. We comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) by:

• Requiring parental or school consent before collecting personal information from children under 13
• Collecting only the minimum information necessary to provide the educational service
• Not requiring children to disclose more information than is reasonably necessary
• Providing parents with the ability to review, modify, or delete their child's information
• Not using children's personal information for behavioral advertising
• Maintaining reasonable security procedures to protect children's information

Schools using the Platform may consent on behalf of parents for the collection of student information for educational purposes, consistent with COPPA's school consent exception.

5. FERPA Compliance

When the Platform is used by schools, student data constitutes education records under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). We act as a “school official” with legitimate educational interest and:

• Use student education records only for the purposes for which they were disclosed
• Do not share education records with third parties without proper authorization
• Support schools in responding to parent requests to access or amend records
• Maintain appropriate administrative, technical, and physical safeguards

6. SMS and Text Messages

Parents and guardians may opt in to receive SMS text message notifications about their child's school activity, including behavior marks, behavior flags, weekly summaries, badge achievements, and reward redemptions. By enabling SMS notifications on the Platform:

• You consent to receive SMS text messages from StarBound at the phone number you provide
• Message frequency varies based on your notification preferences and student activity
• Message and data rates may apply depending on your wireless carrier and plan
• You may opt out at any time by disabling SMS notifications in your account settings or by replying STOP to any message
• Reply HELP to any message for support information

SMS consent is not a condition of using the Platform. Your phone number will not be shared with third parties for marketing purposes. SMS data, including phone numbers and message content, will not be shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes.

7. Third-Party Services

We use the following categories of third-party services to operate the Platform, each bound by their own privacy policies and our data processing agreements:

• Cloud hosting and database services (for storing and serving Platform data)
• Authentication services (for secure login and account management)
• SMS delivery services (for sending opted-in text message notifications)
• Email delivery services (for sending account and notification emails)
• AI services (for adaptive learning features, used only with educational content — never with student personal information)

We do not use any third-party analytics, advertising, or social media tracking services.

8. Data Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect the information we collect, including encryption in transit (TLS/SSL), encryption at rest, role-based access controls, row-level security policies on all database tables, and regular security reviews. While no system is 100% secure, we take the protection of student data seriously and continuously work to improve our safeguards.

9. Data Retention and Deletion

We retain student data for as long as the student's account is active or as needed to provide the educational service. When an account is deleted or a student is withdrawn:

• Personal information is deleted or anonymized within 90 days
• Schools may request immediate deletion of student records
• Parents may request deletion of their child's account and data at any time
• Aggregated, de-identified data may be retained for research and improvement purposes

10. Your Rights

Parents, guardians, and eligible students have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about their child or themselves
• Request correction of inaccurate information
• Request deletion of personal information
• Opt out of non-essential communications, including SMS notifications
• Request a copy of their data in a portable format
• Withdraw consent for data collection (which may limit Platform functionality)

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@starboundedu.com. We will respond to all requests within 30 days.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will notify users through the Platform and update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. Continued use of the Platform after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us: