FERPA Compliance

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), 20 U.S.C. § 1232g, is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. This page explains how VolunTrak operates in compliance with FERPA when providing services to schools and school districts.

VolunTrak's Role Under FERPA

When VolunTrak provides services to a school or school district under a formal data processing agreement, we function as a "school official" with a "legitimate educational interest" as those terms are used in FERPA (34 C.F.R. § 99.31(a)(1)).

This means:

• We may access student education records only as necessary to provide the contracted service
• We are subject to the same FERPA restrictions that apply to school employees
• We do not re-disclose student education records except as permitted by FERPA (see "Third-Party Disclosure" below)
• We do not use student education records for any purpose other than providing services to the school or district

What Student Data We Access

Through SIS integrations and direct platform entry, VolunTrak may access or generate the following data for enrolled students:

• Name and school enrollment status
• Volunteer hours logged, submitted, and approved
• Progress toward graduation community service requirements
• Event attendance and participation records
• Hour submission and verification history

We do not collect or store Social Security numbers, financial records, health records, or disciplinary records.

How We Protect Student Records

• Student data is accessible only to authorized users within the student's school or district
• Agency staff can verify and log hours but cannot view student PII beyond what is necessary for that verification
• All data access is logged with timestamps and user IDs and is auditable on demand
• We do not sell, share, or use student education records for advertising, marketing, or any commercial purpose unrelated to the VolunTrak service
• Data processing agreements with districts specify permitted uses, retention periods, and deletion obligations

Parent and Eligible Student Rights

Under FERPA, parents of students under 18 — and eligible students (those who have reached age 18 or attend a postsecondary institution) — have the following rights with respect to their education records:

• Right to inspect and review education records maintained by the school
• Right to request amendment of records believed to be inaccurate, misleading, or in violation of the student's privacy rights
• Right to consent to disclosure of education records, except where FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent
• Right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures to comply with FERPA requirements

These rights are exercised through the student's school or district — not directly through VolunTrak. To inspect records, request amendments, or submit a FERPA request related to your child's volunteer hours or service record, contact your school's registrar or records officer.

Third-Party Disclosure

We do not disclose student education records to third parties without written consent from a parent or eligible student, except as permitted by FERPA — for example, to other school officials with a legitimate educational interest, or as required by law or court order.

Our vendor and subprocessor agreements require all parties handling student data to comply with the same FERPA obligations that apply to VolunTrak.

Data Retention and Deletion

Student data is retained for the period specified in the district's data processing agreement with VolunTrak. Upon contract termination, or upon a verified written request from an authorized district administrator:

• Student records are deleted from active systems within 30 days
• Residual copies in encrypted backups are purged within 90 days

Districts may request a data export prior to deletion. Exported files are provided in CSV format and transmitted over secure, encrypted channels.

Contact for FERPA Inquiries

For questions about student data handling, to report a concern, or to initiate a data access or deletion request on behalf of your district, contact us at:

hello@voluntrak.io
SchoolBanks, Inc.
Atlanta Financial Center
3343 Peachtree Rd NE Ste 145-2187
Atlanta, GA 30326

Complaints to the federal government regarding FERPA compliance may be directed to:

Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202