Privacy Policy

Friends Community School Privacy Policy

Friends Community School (“FCS” or the “School”) values the privacy of our community members, and this Privacy Policy addresses the privacy practices of the School and our website, https://www.friendscommunityschool.org. We seek to promote transparency with our community by outlining the information we collect, how and why we collect it, and how we protect privacy in doing so. We ask members of our community and those who use our website to exercise personal responsibility in supporting our privacy goals, which include, but are not limited to, providing us with accurate and current information, using secure methods when sharing personal information, and keeping login credentials for School-issued accounts secure.

Information We Collect

The term “Personal Information” means information that FCS obtains about you through the website that can be reasonably used to identify you, such as your name, physical address, mailing address, email address, phone number, date of birth, credit/debit card account number, bank account information, and other information, as identified below, for purposes of:

Applying to, enrolling in, and attending our School, summer programs, and other School-sponsored activities and programs, which may include providing us with your biographical information, family information, education history, and qualifications.
Complying with a financial obligation, such as paying tuition and fees.
Maintaining alumni and community connections.
Making a donation to FCS.
Registering to attend or volunteer at School-sponsored events and activities.
Responding to a job posting, applying to, and working at FCS, which may include providing us with your biographical information, employment history, qualifications, credentials, and other information.
Renting or requesting permission to use FCS’s facilities.
Submitting an inquiry, question, or request.
Subscribing to School communications or news.
Providing feedback to us.

Our system may also collect information automatically about website users, including IP addresses, browser types, mobile device information and geolocation, as well as how our website is being used, the pages visited, and the search terms entered.

You may decide to send us Personal Information in an email message from you containing a question or comment or by submitting a web form on our website. We use Personal Information from these contexts primarily to respond to your requests. We may forward your email to School employees who are best suited to answer your questions or provide you with the relevant information that you are requesting.

If you choose not to provide certain relevant Personal Information to us, we may not be able to provide you with the requested information or services.

How We Use Information

We use Personal Information for a variety of reasons, as appropriate for the ways in which you are connected with the School. Consistent with such engagement, we may use Personal Information for the following purposes:

To provide information about our programs and services.
To evaluate applicants for admission to FCS.
To enter into an enrollment contract for our School, or to enroll in other School-sponsored activities and programs.
To communicate with our students and their families about all student-related matters and to otherwise support our students while enrolled at the School.
To help connect our community members with each other.
To track individual and aggregate data as required by applicable law.
To track academic progress and communicate with parents/guardians.
To manage student records, enrollment, attendance, and operations.
To promote the health and safety of students and staff, including managing medical information and emergencies.
To communicate School news, events, fundraising opportunities, and important information.
To solicit volunteers and donations.
To comply with legal obligations and respond to legal requests.
To process payment for a donation or financial obligation to FCS.
To promote the School’s work and mission, and to recruit exceptional candidates for admission.
To evaluate candidates for employment at FCS.
To pay employees and manage or comply with the School’s obligations as an employer.
To respond to an inquiry, question, or request submitted to the School.
To identify usage trends.
For other reasons, with your consent.

How We Share Information

We will not sell, trade, rent, transfer, or otherwise share your information with any third party outside of our organization, other than as necessary to fulfill your request, such as processing payments or providing educational services. This may include sharing information with service providers who assist us with website operations, data analysis, or email delivery. We will ensure that any such third-party providers are contractually obligated to protect your information.

We may otherwise share Personal Information with the following parties:

School Staff: Teachers, administrators, and other staff members who need the information to perform their duties.
Service Providers: Third-party service providers who assist with School operations (e.g., technology providers, healthcare providers).
Legal Authorities: Law enforcement or government agencies if required by law or to protect the safety of students and staff.

Data Security

We strive to maintain the reliability, accuracy, completeness, and currency of your personal data in our databases and to protect the privacy and security of our databases and the data we collect.

Wherever we collect sensitive information (such as credit card data), that information is encrypted and securely transmitted to us. You can verify this by looking for a closed-lock icon or looking for "https" at the beginning of the address of the web page.

While we use encryption to protect sensitive information transmitted online, we also protect your information offline. Only people who need the information to perform a specific job (e.g., billing, admissions, or faculty) are granted access to personally identifiable information. The computers/servers where we store personally identifiable information are kept securely.

We take reasonable standard measures to protect Personal Information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. These measures include:

Physical Security:Secure storage of records and restricted access to School buildings.
Technology Security: Use of passwords, encryption, and other security measures to protect electronic data.
Staff Training: Training staff on privacy policies and procedures.

The security measures in place on our website and computer systems aim to protect the loss, misuse, or alteration of the information you provide to us.

Unfortunately, no website, database, or system is completely secure. While the School strives to protect your information, we cannot guarantee security. You are also responsible for taking reasonable steps to protect your Personal Information against unauthorized disclosure or misuse.

Your Access to and Control Over Information

You may opt out of any future contact with us anytime by clicking the unsubscribe link on our email. You may request that we modify, hide, or delete Personal Information that you have provided to us by emailing us at communications@friendscommunityschool.org.

We retain Personal Information only as long as it is necessary to fulfill the purpose for which that information was collected, for the time period required by law, or for as long as is necessary for our legitimate business purposes.

Links to Other Websites and Services

To the extent this site contains links to other websites and outside services and resources, we do not control the availability and content of those websites, services or resources, nor do we necessarily review or endorse materials available at or through such other websites. Viewing other websites or utilizing outside services and resources is done at your own risk. Accordingly, we encourage you to be aware when you leave this website and to read the terms and conditions and privacy policy of each third-party website that you visit. FCS is not liable for any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any such content, goods or services available on or through any such website or resources. The School is not responsible for such other sites' content or privacy practices. We encourage you to be aware when you are leaving our website and to read the privacy statements of any other site that collects personally identifiable information.

Cookies

We may use “cookies” and similar technology to enhance your experience on our website. A cookie is a piece of data stored on a site visitor’s hard drive to help us improve your access to our website and identify repeat visitors to our website. We may also use “analytics cookies” to help us understand how site visitor’s use our site. Cookies enable us to enhance the experience of visitors to our website. Usage of a cookie is not linked to any personally identifiable information on our website. You can choose to accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser settings to decline cookies if you prefer. However, this may prevent you from taking full advantage of the website as some parts of the website may then be inaccessible or not function properly.

By visiting the FCS website, you consent to the use of cookies and similar technologies in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

Pixel Tags

Pixel tags (which are also called clear GIFs, web beacons, or pixels) are snippets of codes or tiny images embedded on websites and in emails that help us learn how you interact with our website and emails. We may use pixel tags to help us identify how your device is being used to interact with FCS content, or to direct advertising to you based on your displayed interest through pages visited on our website.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update and amend this Privacy Policy from time to time without prior notice by posting a revised Privacy Policy to this website. We may post changes on this website with an updated "Effective Date." We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically.

Effective Date: 10/6/2025

Last Updated: 10/6/2025

Contact Information

If you have any questions, or concerns about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:

Friends Community School
5901 Westchester Park Drive

College Park, MD, 20740

Phone: (301) 441-2100
communications@friendscommunityschool.org

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