Privacy Policy

1. What We Collect

We do not collect Social Security Numbers, bank account numbers, or government ID numbers under any circumstances.

2. Children's Data (COPPA)

Learnest serves students as young as Kindergarten. We take children's privacy seriously and comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

• All student data is collected with explicit parental consent — parents complete the onboarding process for their child.
• We do not collect more information from students than is necessary to provide the matching service.
• Students' full names, school names, and email addresses are not displayed publicly — only a first name and grade are shown to matched tutors.
• Parents may request deletion of their child's data at any time by contacting us.

2a. Parental Rights (COPPA)

As the parent or guardian of a student on Learnest, you have the following rights at any time:

• Review — request a copy of the personal information Learnest has collected about your child
• Correct — request that inaccurate information be updated
• Delete — request deletion of your child's profile and all associated data (processed within 14 days)
• Withdraw consent — refuse further collection or use of your child's data; this will result in account deactivation

To exercise any of these rights, email us at [email protected] with the subject line "COPPA parent request."

3. How We Store Your Data

Learnest is an early-stage platform. Data is currently stored in CSV files on a local server. Key security measures:

• Passwords are hashed using bcrypt — we never store plain-text passwords
• Financial aid documents submitted by families are received via email, reviewed manually, and deleted from our inbox after verification — they are never saved to the Learnest platform
• All data is stored on servers in the United States
• No data is shared with third-party advertising networks

3a. Cookies & Third-Party Services

Learnest does not use advertising cookies or analytics trackers. Two third-party services are loaded as part of the platform:

• Google Fonts — loaded from fonts.googleapis.com for typography. Google may receive your IP address as part of this request. See Google's Privacy Policy.
• Jitsi Meet — used to host video tutoring sessions. Sessions are routed through Jitsi's servers (meet.jit.si); Learnest does not record sessions. See Jitsi's Privacy Policy.

We do not control these third parties' data practices and receive no data from them beyond what is necessary to display the service.

3b. Data Breach Notification

If Learnest becomes aware of a security breach that compromises personal data, we will notify affected users by email within 72 hours of discovery, to the extent required by applicable law. Notifications will describe the nature of the breach, the data involved, and steps we are taking to address it.

4. Who Sees What

Tutors see about their matched students:

• Student's first name and grade level
• Subject(s) and struggle description
• Availability windows
• Parent's email address (to coordinate session scheduling)
• Payment method and handle (to receive payment)

Parents see about matched tutors:

• Tutor's first name and last initial (e.g., "Emma R.")
• Subject(s), hourly rate, and tutoring format
• Short bio and quiz score percentage
• Availability days

The public tutor browse page shows:

• Tutor's first name and last initial
• Grade (e.g., "11th Grade")
• Subjects, rate, format, available days, bio, and average rating
• No email addresses, phone numbers, or personal contact info

5. Email Communications

We send emails for the following purposes:

• Account confirmation and onboarding
• Match notifications (when a student is matched or waitlisted)
• Session reminders (24 hours before a scheduled session)
• Learnest Cares status updates and renewal reminders
• Grade-transition notifications (8th graders notified of tutor eligibility)

We do not send marketing emails. To unsubscribe from any communication, reply to the email or contact us at [email protected].

6. Data Deletion

You can request deletion of your data — profile, session history, and all associated records — by emailing [email protected] with the subject line "Data deletion request." We will process requests within 14 days.

Note: some data may be retained for legally required periods or to prevent fraud.

7. Changes to This Policy

We'll update this page when our practices change. The date at the top of this page reflects when it was last revised.

8. Contact

Questions about your privacy on Learnest? Email us at [email protected].