Privacy Policy

Information We Collect

• Account info you provide: full name, city, state, email, phone, screen name, and password (stored as a cryptographic hash, not in plain text).
• Content you post: messages, replies, and any attachments you choose to upload.
• Technical data: IP address, device/browser details, pages viewed, referrer, and timestamps (via logs and cookies).
• Donations: if you donate, our payment processor (e.g., Stripe/PayPal) collects billing info. We receive transaction metadata (amount, time, status) but not your full card number.
• Communications: messages you send to us (e.g., email, contact forms).

How We Use Information

• Provide, secure, and improve the Service (authentication, moderation, troubleshooting, analytics).
• Operate the forum and display your screen name with your posts.
• Communicate with you (account notices, replies to your requests).
• Process donations and maintain basic donation records.
• Detect, investigate, and prevent abuse, spam, and security incidents.
• Comply with applicable laws and enforce our Terms of Use.

Cookies & Similar Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies to keep you signed in, protect your account, remember preferences, and understand how the site is used.

• Required: authentication cookie (keeps you signed in), anti-forgery token, load balancing.
• Preferences: UI and form settings you opt to save.
• Analytics (optional): privacy-respecting analytics to understand aggregate usage. If we use a third-party tool, it may set its own cookies.

You can control cookies via your browser settings. Blocking required cookies may prevent sign-in.

When We Share Information

• Service providers: hosting, email delivery, analytics, payment processing—only what’s needed to do their work for us.
• Legal/safety: if we reasonably believe disclosure is required by law, regulation, subpoena, or to protect rights, safety, or security.
• Business changes: if we undergo a merger, acquisition, or asset transfer, information may be transferred as part of that transaction.

We do not sell your personal information.

Donations & Micro-Grants

IEPLearning accepts donations to fund site operations, pay developers, and—when a surplus exists—may issue needs-based micro-grants to families to help offset special-education legal costs where IDEA/FAPE concerns warrant it, solely at our discretion.

• Donations are processed by third-party providers (e.g., Stripe/PayPal). Their privacy policies apply to your payment data.
• We retain donation records as required for bookkeeping, compliance, and fraud prevention.

Your Choices & Rights

• Profile: you can update your account details (screen name, email, etc.).
• Communications: you can opt out of non-essential emails by following instructions in the message or contacting us.
• Access/Deletion: request a copy or deletion of your personal information by emailing privacy@ieplearning.com. We may retain certain records as required by law, for security, or to enforce our Terms (e.g., abuse investigations, financial records).

If you are in a jurisdiction with specific privacy rights (e.g., GDPR/CCPA), contact us and we will honor applicable requests.

Data Retention

• Account data: kept while your account is active; limited backups may persist for a time after deletion.
• Forum posts: retained to preserve discussion history; upon deletion, content may be anonymized/pseudonymized where feasible.
• Logs and analytics: kept for a limited period for security and performance, then aggregated or deleted.
• Donation records: retained as required by law and accounting rules.

Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards (e.g., TLS encryption in transit, hashed passwords, access controls). No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure.

Children’s Privacy

The Service is intended for users 13+. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has provided personal information, contact us and we will take appropriate steps to remove it.

International Users

We operate in the United States. By using the Service, you understand your information may be transferred to, processed, and stored in the U.S.

Do Not Track

We do not currently respond to browser “Do Not Track” signals.

Changes to this Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we’ll post the updated policy with a new effective date. Your continued use means you accept the revised policy.

Contact Us

For dispute resolution, please see our Terms of Use (binding arbitration; Nebraska law/venue).