Privacy Policy
We collect only what we need to run our classes and keep your family’s information secure. Here is exactly what we gather, why, and how we protect it.
1. Who this policy covers
This policy applies to families who use our website and our enrollment portal to register for and manage classes. When we say “we” or “the Academy,” we mean Mustard Seed Music and Arts Academy.
2. Information we collect
- Family & guardian information — parent/guardian name, email address, phone number, and mailing/billing details used to create and manage your account.
- Student information — each student’s name, age or date of birth for age-appropriate placement, and the guardian who signs on their behalf.
- Health & emergency information — as part of each student’s onboarding we collect emergency contacts, allergies, medical conditions, medications, dietary needs, and (optionally) a physician and health-insurance details. We collect this so we can keep classes safe and act quickly in a medical emergency — for example, sharing it with instructors, staff, or emergency responders (911/paramedics) as needed to care for your student. This information is treated as sensitive and access is limited to staff who need it.
- Consents & signatures — the waiver, emergency medical authorization, and photo/media choice you accept per student, recorded with your typed-name signature, the document version, a timestamp, and the IP address used, for our records.
- Enrollment information — which classes each student is enrolled in, attendance, trial-credit use, and account credit balances.
- Payment information — handled by Square (see below). We record that a payment succeeded and for which class; we do not receive or store your full card number.
- Messages you send us — the contents of contact-form submissions and emails.
3. How we use your information
We use your information only to operate the Academy: to create and manage your account, enroll students, communicate about classes and schedules, process tuition, keep classes safe, and respond to your questions. We do not sell your information, and we do not share it for others’ advertising.
4. Payments — handled by Square
Tuition payments are processed by Square, a PCI-compliant payment processor. Your card details are entered directly with Square and are never stored on our servers. Square handles the sensitive card data under its own security standards and privacy policy. We receive only a confirmation of payment and limited, non-sensitive details (such as the last four digits or a receipt reference) needed for our records.
5. How your information is stored & protected
Account and enrollment information is kept in a secure, access-limited database. Access is restricted to Academy staff who need it to run classes and support your account. Data is transmitted over encrypted (HTTPS) connections, and we take reasonable administrative and technical measures to protect it against loss, misuse, or unauthorized access. No online system is perfectly secure, but we work to safeguard your family’s information and to collect only what we need.
6. Children’s privacy (COPPA note)
Our classes serve minors, but our online accounts are created and managed by parents and legal guardians — not by children. Information about a child is provided by the parent/guardian for the purpose of enrollment, and we minimize what we collect about students to what is needed for safe, age-appropriate placement and instruction. We do not knowingly allow children to create their own accounts or to submit personal information directly to us. Consistent with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), a parent or guardian may review, update, or request deletion of their child’s information at any time by contacting us.
7. Your choices & rights
You may review or update your family and student information in the portal, or ask us to correct or delete it. You can opt out of newsletters at any time using the unsubscribe link, and you can decline the photo/media release in the Liability Waiver & Photo/Media Release without affecting enrollment. We retain records only as long as needed to run the Academy and meet legal and accounting obligations.
8. Third-party services
We rely on a small number of trusted service providers to operate — for example, Square for payments and our hosting/email providers. These providers process information only as needed to provide their service to us. External sites we link to have their own privacy policies.
8a. “Mikey”, our website assistant
Some pages of this website offer a chat assistant called Mikey. It answers questions about our classes and policies. Two things are worth knowing about it:
- It is software, not a person. Messages you type are sent to Anthropic, the company that provides the underlying language model, to generate a reply. Anthropic processes them to produce the answer.
- We do not keep your conversation unless you ask Mikey to send something to us — for example reporting a problem with the website, or a question Mikey could not answer. In that case the conversation is saved with your report so staff can understand it. Otherwise the chat is not stored once you close it.
Because it is an assistant rather than a member of staff, please do not type personal details into it — no full names of children, addresses, medical information, or payment details. If you need to tell us something like that, use the contact page or the family portal instead. Mikey has no access to family accounts, student records, or class rosters, and cannot look them up.
9. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy as our programs or tools change. When we do, we will revise the effective date above and post the updated policy here.
10. Contact us
Questions about your privacy or your family’s data? Email us at Mustardseedartacademy@gmail.com.