Burkonda Inc., doing business as Plan Forward, respects your privacy and is committed to protecting it in accordance with this Privacy Policy. This policy outlines the types of information we may collect from you or that you may provide when you visit our website, use our products and services, or interact with us (collectively referred to as ‘Services’), as well as our practices for collecting, using, maintaining, protecting, and disclosing that information. By using our Services, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy.

We may, at our sole discretion, modify or update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we believe the changes will materialy change how we use your personal information or reduce your rights, we will notify you either within this Privacy Policy or through a notice posted on our homepage.

Plan Forward, along with our service providers who assist in providing, maintaining, and operating our Services, may collect various types of information from and about users of our Services, including:

- Personal Information: We may collect personal information that you provide to us, such as your name, email address, postal address, phone number, and other similar details, along with any publicly available information. Additionally, when you use our Services, we may automatically collect certain information about your access and usage, including traffic data, location data, logs, communication data, and the resources you access and use on the Services.

- Survey and Research Information: If you participate in one of our research projects or use one of our Services, we may collect your name, company, title, email address, postal address, phone number, demographic information, IP address, and any additional information you provide. Additionally, as part of the survey or research project, you may provide us with qualitative and quantitative information necessary for conducting the project, performing our analysis, and reporting our findings. This qualitative and quantitative information should be provided to us in an anonymized form, excluding any Personally Identifiable Information (PII) as defined by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (“FERPA”).

- Cookies, Web Beacons and Other Tracking Technologies: We, along with our service providers, may use cookies, web beacons, and similar tracking technologies to monitor how users interact with our Services. Cookies are small files stored on your device that help us enhance our Services and improve your experience. Web beacons are tracking technologies used to verify whether you have accessed certain content on our Services. You can manage your tracking preferences through your browser settings.

- Analytics: We use Google Analytics to collect information about your use of our website. This includes data such as your IP address, browser type, operating system, pages visited, time spent on each page, and your interactions with our site. Google Analytics helps us understand how you engage with our website and improve our services. The data collected is anonymized and protected by Google’s security measures, including encryption and strict access controls. You can opt-out of Google Analytics data collection by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

- Google User Data: When you use our Services, we may collect and process information obtained from your Google account, such as your Google email address, profile information, or any other data that you consent to share with us through the Google API. This data is used solely to provide and enhance our Services, including facilitating login and improving user experience. We do not share this data with third parties, except as necessary to operate our Services or as required by law. Your Google user data is handled in compliance with Google’s User Data Policy.

Data Usage: We do not use any data obtained from users to develop, improve, or train generalized or non-personalized AI and/or machine learning (ML) models. We do not transfer any user data to third-party AI tools for the purpose of training generalized or non-personalized AI/ML models. Any data shared with third-party services is strictly for enhancing user-specific functionalities and is handled in compliance with privacy and security standards.

Retention and Deletion of Google User Data: We retain Google user data only for as long as necessary to provide our Services or as required by applicable laws and regulations. You have the right to request the deletion of your Google user data at any time. Upon receiving such a request, we will delete your Google user data from our systems within a reasonable timeframe, unless retention is necessary to comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, or enforce our agreements. Additionally, if you revoke our access to your Google account, we will no longer collect any data from your account, and any previously collected data will be deleted according to our data retention policies.

User Authentication & Access Control: Plan Forward employs stringent user authentication and access control measures to ensure the security and integrity of our system. Access to the database and source code is restricted solely to employees whose roles necessitate it. To enforce robust security, employees must utilize Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) to gain administrative access to any required services. Application passwords are securely stored using modern, secure algorithms to provide an additional layer of protection.

Aligning with State and District Policies

Plan Forward aligns with COPPA, FERPA, CCPA, and state policies, such as Virginia policies, including Executive Order 30 and Guidelines for AI Integration Throughout Education, by implementing rigorous data protection and privacy measures. Through comprehensive measures, Plan Forward ensures the protection and privacy of information and responsible use of advanced technology, including AI.

FERPA school official designation: If a school district or school client grants Plan Forward access to PII (as it is outlined and defined by FERPA), Plan Forward will be considered a “school official” with a “legitimate educational interest” under the guidelines of FERPA. No PII as outlined by FERPA will be shared with any outside third party.