Privacy Policy

BookNook, Inc. (“BookNook,” “we,” “our,” or “us”) is a U.S.-based education technology company dedicated to advancing literacy and equitable learning outcomes for students in grades K–8. We provide remote and in-person tutoring, small-group instruction, adaptive learning software, and related educational tools in reading and mathematics to schools, nonprofits, and families (the “Services”).

We are committed to protecting your privacy and maintaining a safe, transparent learning environment. This Privacy Policy explains how information is collected, used, disclosed, and protected by BookNook when you access or use our website (www.booknook.com), web platform, or online tutoring environments.

Your use of the Services means you expressly consent to the practices described in this Privacy Policy and in our Terms of Service, as they may be updated from time to time. Any information you provide to us or through the Services is governed by these terms.

This Privacy Policy applies to users 13 years of age or older, including educators, administrators, tutors, and parents/guardians using BookNook for themselves or their students. References to “you” and “your” include all such users unless otherwise specified.

For information about our practices for children under 13, see our Children’s Privacy Notice (COPPA) below.

If you are accessing BookNook on behalf of a school, district, or educational organization, please review Schools and Student Use (FERPA and state student privacy laws) below.

International Users. If you are located outside the United States, your personal information will be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States. By using our Services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy and our Terms of Service.

1. Who We Are & How to Contact Us

For questions about this Policy or our data practices: privacy@booknook.com

Mail: BookNook, Inc., Attn: Privacy Office, 2272 Erie Ave. Suite 219 PMB 98100 Cincinnati, OH 45208, USA

2. Scope; International Processing

This Policy covers all use of the Services by users 13+ and is supplemented by our Children’s Privacy Notice for under-13 users, and Schools and Student Use for school/district implementations.

As noted above, information shall be processed in the U.S. regardless of your location.

3. Information We Collect

We collect information (a) directly from you, (b) from others (e.g., your School/teacher/parent), and (c) automatically through your use of the Services.

A. Information You Provide

Teachers/Tutors: first and last name, email address, profession/role, username, password, country/region, school name and zip code, and, if you participate in the Tutor Community page or related forums, profile information, posts, or other content you choose to share there

Students (via teacher/school setup): first and last name, grade level, student ID, username, gender and other demographic information (only where required by the School), learning level, and performance data.

Parents/Guardians (if enabled by your School or for Family/Direct accounts): name and email address to link to a student record and deliver progress updates. For School-managed deployments, we do not independently collect parent contact information.

Tutor Content: notes and other Student-specific feedback entered into the system.
Student Content: responses to questions, activities, assignments, and posts visible to members of the same tutoring group or session.
Support & Communications: messages you send us (support tickets, surveys, feedback, attachments).
ESA Orders & Purchases: If you engage state-managed education savings account (“ESA”) programs (e.g., platforms such as ClassWallet) or pay directly, we collect limited order information (e.g., package type, student name, and parent contact details) along with transaction authorization or confirmation. Payment details are processed by third-party platforms in accordance with their own terms and policies, and BookNook does not receive or store full payment card information.

B. Information We Collect Automatically

Usage: time and duration of access, content viewed, actions taken.
Device/Technical: device type, OS, browser type/version, IP address, referring URL.
General Location: inferred from IP address (no precise geolocation).
Cookies & Similar Technologies: used for security, session management, navigation, personalization, recognizing your device, and aggregate usage statistics.
Video and Audio Recordings of Tutoring Sessions: If permitted or authorized by your School, district, or educational organization, BookNook may collect video and/or audio recordings of live tutoring sessions conducted through our platform. These recordings are used solely for safety, quality assurance, training, and compliance purposes and are treated as education records under applicable student privacy laws, including FERPA and COPPA. Tutors and other authorized adults may also be recorded pursuant to their contractual consent and applicable law. Recordings are not shared, sold, or used for marketing or advertising and are retained only as long as necessary for the educational and compliance purposes for which they were collected.
Do Not Track: We do not currently respond to DNT signals due to the lack of an industry standard.
No Cross-Site Ad Tracking: We do not use cookies/pixels to track you across third-party services for advertising.

C. Information We Receive from Others

Schools/Teachers: rosters and student data necessary for class setup and instruction.
Parents/Guardians: data used to link parent accounts or view student progress.
Tutors/Partners: instructional notes, performance outcomes.
Single Sign-On (SSO): if you log in via Google, Clever, ClassLink, etc., we receive limited identifiers per your SSO settings and the provider’s policy.
Program/Platform Integrations: we may receive or exchange limited data with district systems or ESA platforms (e.g., ClassWallet) to facilitate authorized services and payments.

4. How We Use Information

We use information only for educational, operational, safety, and legal purposes:

Instructional Delivery: personalizing instruction, enabling student access, and supporting teacher dashboards.
Monitoring & Feedback: enabling faculty and staff/parents to monitor progress; offering students feedback and suggested activities.
Reports & Analytics: providing teachers with classroom and student progress reports, understanding how our Services are accessed and used, and analyzing de-identified or aggregate data to improve Service design and performance.
Support & Maintenance: diagnosing problems, troubleshooting, and providing support.
Communications: account notices, feature updates, and service-related emails (you can manage non-essential email preferences).
ESA Transactions: validating eligibility, processing invoices/authorizations, and complying with ESA platform rules (e.g., ClassWallet).
Safety/Compliance: preventing misuse/fraud; complying with legal obligations and enforcing terms.
De-identified/Aggregated Use: we may de-identify and/or aggregate data for product improvement, research, and efficacy studies in ways that do not identify individuals.

No Ads; No Sale/“Sharing.” We do not display third-party advertisements, sell personal information, or “share” personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. We do not use Student Personal Data for targeted/behavioral advertising.

5. Disclosure of Information

We disclose information in limited cases:

To Service Providers: secure hosting, analytics, support, and payment/ESA processors — all operating under written agreements requiring confidentiality, data security, and compliance with applicable privacy laws. BookNook engages only trusted subprocessors and service providers bound to use data solely for authorized educational or operational purposes and to maintain equivalent privacy protections. If new subprocessors are added, BookNook will update its list of subprocessors and provide prior notice to impacted Schools before those subprocessors begin handling Student Personal Data.
To Your School/Teachers/Tutors: to provide authorized educational services and instructional reporting.
SSO/Integrations You Choose: if you use SSO (e.g., Google, Clever, Classlink) or link an account, those providers may receive limited info per their privacy policies.
De-Identified/Aggregated Research: non-identifying datasets may be shared with research partners for educational studies.
Business Transitions: merger, acquisition, bankruptcy, or similar events.
Student Data Safeguard: any successor must honor this Policy regarding Student Personal Data or we will provide Schools notice and a reasonable opportunity to request deletion prior to transfer.
Legal/Compliance: to comply with law, enforce terms, protect rights/safety, or respond to lawful requests.
With Your Consent: where you direct us to share.
ESA Platforms (e.g., ClassWallet): only the minimal necessary information to authorize and reconcile ESA payments; BookNook does not receive your full financial account details from ESA platforms.

We do not sell personal information and do not disclose Student Personal Data except as described above or as required by law.

Authorized Subprocessors:

BookNook engages a limited number of trusted service providers (subprocessors) to support secure delivery of our platform, hosting, analytics, and payment operations.

All subprocessors operate under written agreements requiring confidentiality, data security, and compliance with applicable student data privacy laws. BookNook requires that all subprocessors handling Student Personal Data store and process such data within the United States or maintain equivalent U.S. privacy and security safeguards.

A current list of authorized subprocessors and their functions is available upon request from privacy@booknook.com and is updated prior to any new subprocessor handling Student Personal Data.

BookNook will provide advance notice to affected Schools via email or posted notice prior to any such change.

Schools and partners may subscribe to receive notice of material updates.

6. Security

We seek to use reasonable organizational, technical, and administrative measures to protect information. These include encryption in transit and at rest, role-based access controls, continuous monitoring, periodic security reviews, and regular staff training on data protection practices.

BookNook maintains these safeguards to protect the integrity and confidentiality of personal information and to prevent unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. We maintain a documented incident response plan to promptly investigate, mitigate, and notify affected parties of any security incidents in accordance with applicable law. Where notification is required, BookNook will provide such notice without unreasonable delay and, where practicable, within 72 hours of confirming an incident, consistent with applicable law.

No system is 100% secure. If we learn of a security incident affecting personal information, we will investigate and notify affected parties in accordance with applicable law.

If you believe your account security is compromised, notify security@booknook.com immediately.

7. Your Choices & Controls

Use without an account (where available): limited browsing may be possible, but progress won’t be saved.
Communication Preferences: unsubscribe from non-essential emails via the link in the message. You cannot opt out of essential service or security notices.
Access via School: students/parents may view, edit, or delete personal information where permitted by law; contact your School/Service Provider first.
Self-Service/Profile: where available, you can review/update profile info in account settings or by contacting Support.
Deletion Requests: request deletion via in-product tools (if offered) or by contacting privacy@booknook.com (parents of school-managed students should route through the School per FERPA). We may retain limited data as required by law or for legitimate recordkeeping (e.g., fraud prevention, security, audits).
Operational Subprocessors & Opt-Out Limitations: Certain essential subprocessors—such as hosting, authentication, analytics, and payment/ESA processors—are necessary to operate the Services and cannot be opted out of individually. These providers process data strictly under BookNook’s instructions and are contractually required to maintain confidentiality and security. All subprocessors are bound by equivalent U.S. data privacy and security obligations, and Student Personal Data remains subject to U.S. jurisdiction and protection standards. BookNook does not sell or “share” personal information for advertising, marketing, or any purpose unrelated to providing the Services.

8. Retention & Deletion

We retain information as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Policy, unless a longer period is required by law or contract. Factors considered include: educational need, contractual requirements, legal obligations, recordkeeping, fraud/abuse prevention, payment reconciliation, user expectations, and inactivity duration.

Student Personal Data is deleted or irreversibly de-identified upon: (i) a verified School request, (ii) termination or lapse of the School’s agreement, or (iii) extended inactivity in accordance with our retention policy, unless legal or contractual obligations require longer retention.

All deletions and de-identifications are conducted in accordance with BookNook’s documented data retention and deletion procedures, which align with applicable federal and state student privacy laws and industry standards for secure data disposal.

Verified School deletion requests are completed within 60 days of receipt, and written confirmation of deletion is available upon request.

9. Schools and Student Use (FERPA/COPPA/PPRA)

BookNook complies with FERPA, COPPA, PPRA and related student privacy laws. When providing services to a School or district, BookNook acts as a “School Official” under FERPA, using Student Personal Data only for authorized educational purposes as directed by the School.

Student Personal Data is owned and controlled by the School. BookNook does not claim ownership or independent control of such information and processes it solely for the educational purposes authorized by the School and applicable law.

BookNook acts as a “school official” with legitimate educational interest when contracted by a School/Institution and will comply with FERPA obligations.

We do not: (a) build personal profiles for non-educational purposes, (b) display advertising, or (c) use/allow cross-site tracking for targeted ads. We support School requests to access, correct, export, or delete Student Personal Data and will verify the requester’s authority.

Non-school ESA Use: for families using BookNook via ESA platforms (e.g., ClassWallet) outside a formal School contract, we apply comparable safeguards (COPPA for under-13; FERPA-like controls for student data access/deletion) and limit data to what is necessary to provide tutoring and process ESA payments.

10. Children’s Privacy Notice (COPPA)

What we collect for under-13 users: limited identifiers (e.g., name or username), classroom affiliation, usage/performance, and device/technical data necessary to provide the Services.
BookNook complies with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and collects personal information from children under 13 only as permitted by law.
Consent: when used through a School, we rely on the School to provide verifiable parental consent on the parent’s behalf where permitted by COPPA; otherwise, we obtain consent directly from a parent/guardian.
Parent Rights: parents may review or request deletion of their child’s information at any time. If the account was set up through a School, contact the School and we’ll coordinate promptly; otherwise, contact privacy@booknook.com.

11. State & Regional Privacy Rights

A. California (CCPA/CPRA) - Non-Student Users

California residents (not acting as students within FERPA context) may request to know, access, correct, or delete personal information. BookNook does not sell or “share” personal information. Submit requests to privacy@booknook.com.

B. California Minor’s Removal Right

Registered users under 18 in California may request removal of content they posted publicly on the Services, subject to legal exceptions.

C. GDPR/EEA/UK (If Applicable)

Depending on your location, you may have rights to access, rectification, erasure, restriction, objection, portability, and to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.

BookNook processes personal information under the following legal bases: (i) contract performance (e.g., providing the Services to Schools or users), (ii) legitimate interests (e.g., improving, securing, and supporting the Services), (iii) compliance with legal obligations, and (iv) consent, where expressly obtained.

Contact privacy@booknook.com to exercise rights or request clarification on applicable legal bases.

12. Third-Party Links

This Policy does not address, and we are not responsible for, the privacy practices of third parties operating sites/services to which we link. The inclusion of a link does not imply endorsement.

If you use an external program (e.g., ESA platforms like ClassWallet) you are subject to that provider’s own privacy policy.

For clarity: when BookNook integrates with or routes payments through third-party ESA or authentication platforms, those vendors act as independent controllers under their own privacy policies — not as BookNook subprocessors. BookNook shares only the minimal data necessary to enable the requested integration and does not control those platforms’ subsequent use of information.

Accessibility and Inclusive Design. BookNook strives to ensure our Services and privacy disclosures are accessible to all users, including those with disabilities. We design and continuously improve conformance with WCAG 2.1 AA standards and welcome feedback at accessibility@booknook.com and privacy@booknook.com.

13. Updates to This Privacy Policy

We may change this Privacy Policy; the “Last Updated” date shows when it was revised. Your continued use after changes means you accept the revised Policy.

For material changes related to Student Personal Data or third-party sharing arrangements, BookNook will provide reasonable advance notice to affected Schools before such changes take effect, including the effective date of the revision and a summary of the key updates.

For additional terms governing your use of the Services, including dispute resolution, indemnification, and limitation of liability, please review our Terms of Service, available at booknook.com/terms-of-service.

14. Additional Terms & Disclosures

A. Teacher or School Consent in Lieu of a Parent (FERPA)

For school-based activities, FERPA may allow teachers and administrators to provide consent for collection of directory information from children; Schools should notify parents. BookNook requires Schools to obtain necessary parental permissions.

B. Supplemental Terms

Paid Products: If you purchase BookNook paid offerings, we (or our payment processor) collect billing details necessary to manage your subscription/purchase. Processor policies apply to payment card data.
Applicants: If you apply for a job, we collect the professional/educational information you provide for recruiting and compliance purposes.

15. Contact Us

For privacy questions or to exercise rights: privacy@booknook.com or submit a request via our Support Center.

Mail: BookNook, Inc., Attn: Privacy Office, 2272 Erie Ave. Suite 219 PMB 98100 Cincinnati, OH 45208, USA.

Last Updated: November 17, 2025