Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

OC AI Forward (the “Site”) is operated by the Orange County Department of Education (“OCDE,” “we,” “us”), a public educational agency located at 200 Kalmus Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626. The Site supports a professional learning network for educators in Orange County, California, and provides session resources, event registration, and related materials.

This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect when you use the Site, how we use and protect it, and the choices you have. By using the Site, you agree to the practices described here and in our Terms of Use.

2. Information we collect

Information you provide directly. When you sign in, register for an event, complete a form or survey, or contact us, we may collect:

• Name, email address, and (if you choose to provide it) your school, district or organization, and role or job title
• Event registration details, such as sessions you sign up for and dietary or accessibility requests
• Responses to surveys, feedback forms, interest forms, and other forms on the Site
• Messages you send us through the Site or by email
• Community content you choose to share, such as a profile bio, posts in the member feed, and meeting check-ins, which are visible to other signed-in members

Information from sign-in providers. If you sign in using a Google account or another identity provider, we receive the basic profile information that provider shares with us, typically your name, email address, and profile photo. We do not receive your password.

Information collected automatically. Like most websites, our hosting and analytics providers automatically log technical information such as IP address, browser type, device type, pages visited, referring page, and dates and times of access. See Cookies and analytics below.

3. How we use information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide the Site, including sign-in, session resources, and event registration
• Communicate with you about network sessions, events, and professional learning opportunities you have signed up for or expressed interest in
• Respond to your questions and requests
• Understand how the Site is used so we can improve it and plan programming
• Report on program participation in aggregate (for example, number of attendees by district), without identifying individuals
• Maintain the security and integrity of the Site
• Comply with legal obligations that apply to OCDE as a public agency

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not use it for third-party advertising.

4. How we share information

We share personal information only in the following circumstances:

• Service providers that host the Site, process forms, send email, or provide analytics on our behalf (see Section 5). These providers may use your information only to perform services for us.
• Within OCDE, with staff who need the information to run the program.
• Event partners and co-hosts, when you register for an event that is co-presented with another organization, limited to what is needed to run that event.
• When required by law, including in response to a valid public records request, subpoena, court order, or other legal process (see Section 11).
• With your consent or at your direction.

5. Third-party services

The Site is built with services provided by other companies. Each has its own privacy policy that governs how it handles data:

• Google Firebase (hosting, authentication, and database) — Firebase Privacy and Security
• Google Sign-In — Google Privacy Policy
• EmailJS (sends confirmation and notification emails on our behalf) — EmailJS Privacy Policy
• Substack (our newsletter, linked from the Site; subscribing is optional and happens on Substack's site) — Substack Privacy Policy
• Google Fonts and other content delivery networks, which serve fonts and small script libraries and may log the technical information described above

The Site does not send your personal information, or anything you type into it, to an AI model.

The Site may link to external websites, including school district sites and third-party resources. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites.

6. Cookies and analytics

The Site uses cookies and similar technologies that are necessary to keep you signed in and to remember basic settings.. The Site does not use Google Analytics or other advertising or tracking cookies.

Most browsers let you block or delete cookies. If you block necessary cookies, some parts of the Site (such as sign-in) may not work.

7. Data retention

We keep personal information only as long as needed for the purposes described above, to comply with OCDE record-retention requirements, and to resolve disputes. Event registration and survey responses are generally retained for the current and following program year and then deleted or anonymized. Account information is retained while your account is active; you may request deletion at any time (see Section 9).

8. Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect personal information, including encrypted connections (HTTPS), access controls, and hosting on infrastructure that maintains industry-standard security certifications. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. If we learn of a security incident that affects your personal information, we will notify you as required by California law.

9. Your choices and rights

• Access and correction. You may ask to see or correct the personal information we hold about you.
• Deletion. You may ask us to delete your account and associated personal information. We may keep information we are required to retain by law or record-retention policy.
• Email. You can unsubscribe from program emails at any time using the link in the email or by contacting us. We may still send you transactional messages about events you have registered for.
• Sign-in. You can remove the Site's access to your Google account from your Google account settings.

To exercise any of these choices, contact us using the information in Section 13. We will respond within a reasonable time and may need to verify your identity first.

10. Students and children

The Site is designed for educators and other adults. It is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us personal information, please contact us and we will delete it.

Please do not upload or submit student personally identifiable information (such as student names, grades, or student work containing identifying details) through forms on this Site unless a form explicitly requests it. OCDE handles student records in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and California student privacy laws.

11. Public records

OCDE is a public agency subject to the California Public Records Act (Government Code § 7920.000 et seq.). Information you submit to the Site may be considered a public record and may be subject to disclosure upon request, except where an exemption applies. We will withhold personal information from disclosure where the law permits.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will change the “Last updated” date at the top of this page and, for significant changes, post a notice on the Site or email registered users. Your continued use of the Site after a change means you accept the updated policy.

13. Contact us

Questions or requests about this policy or your personal information can be sent to: