Student Data - Frequently Asked Questions
- What data does 5-Star Students collect from schools?
We receive basic student information from schools including student ID, name, grade and school-issued email address. A school can also provide several other demographic details that may be used for reporting purposes.
Schools that use our digital ID option have the ability to upload student photos.
Schools may send class schedule information for students and teachers.
We do not collect any scheduled class attendance data or student grades.
Student data is owned by the school/district and can be removed at any time.
- What data does 5-Star Students collect from students?
Depending on the school, students may be able to:
- Sign up for activities and events
- Purchase tickets and items
- Check into events
- Request hall passes
- Redeem earned points for rewards
- Complete surveys or voting polls
All of these options are enabled and maintained by the school.
Changes to student profile information cannot be made by the student. Updates must be completed by the school/district as the data owner.
- Are student locations being tracked?
No, we do not “track” or log student locations in any capacity. No background activity is used to monitor student whereabouts. Checking into events or requesting hall passes cannot happen without student consent or action.
Our mobile app check-in feature may require the use of current location to verify proximity to certain school events. In this case, individuals must opt-in to the use of their location to verify presence at the event. No geo-coordinates are stored or logged after validation is completed.
- Does 5-Star Students communicate directly with students?
Students may receive notifications through our mobile app or emails from our system email address. These these communications are directed by and sent on behalf of the school.
We do not send direct communications to students at any time.
- Who has access to student data?
Only authorized school/district users have access to student profile information and associated data. Depending on individual access levels, some users may have read-only visibility or may be prohibited from certain areas.
School administrators are responsible for adding and maintaining user accounts. There is no means of self-registration to gain instant system access.
If enabled by the school, students may have access to their own profile and associated data. Students cannot change or make their profile data public, nor can they access other students’ information.
Our employees may have access to student data, but only in a support capacity. We treat student data as confidential and will not provide access to individuals upon request. All users must be invited by an authorized school administrator.
- Is student data secure?
We store our data in the United States (or Canada for Canadian schools) and take strong measures to keep data safe and secure.
We maintain strict administrative, technical and physical procedures to protect student information. We use safeguards such as data encryption technology and firewalls to secure information and the user account registration process. The system is also proactively monitored by advanced monitoring services provided by an independent security provider.
All access is logged and includes information such as IP address, user identification, success/failure of the login, and the role assigned when accessing the system. This log information is available to schools on-demand and our technical staff periodically reviews instances of failed login attempts.
- Is 5-Star Students compliant with privacy laws regarding student data?
We are compliant with federal and state regulations specific to K-12 education, such as FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) and COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act).
We do not knowingly collect any information from children under the age of 13 unless the school has obtained appropriate parental consent for the student to use our system or have their data accessible.
- Is student data used for marketing purposes?
We do not use student data to engage in any targeted advertising activity.
We may periodically use information derived from student data that has been anonymized, aggregated, or otherwise de-identified such that the data cannot reasonably identify a particular student or school. We use such data to operate, analyze, and improve our services.
- Is student data shared or sold to third parties?
We do not rent or sell information to third parties for marketing or any other purposes.
We may share information with those that provide us with technology services (e.g. web hosting and analytics services), but strictly for the purpose of carrying out their work for us.
We may be required to share information with law enforcement or other third parties when compelled to do so by court order or other legal process, to comply with statutes or regulations, or if we believe in good faith that the disclosure is necessary to protect the rights, property or safety of our schools and students.