Privacy & COPPA Compliance

Operator Information

This Privacy Policy applies to the ELL Speak platform, operated by ELL Speak.

Website: ellspeak.com. Mailing address: Address on file — available upon written request.

Privacy contact: privacy@ellspeak.com.

COPPA Compliance Overview

The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) requires special protections for children under 13. ELL Speak uses teacher-managed accounts and operates under the school official exception in 16 C.F.R. § 312.5(b)(1) for educational purposes.

Teachers create and manage student accounts, obtain and document appropriate parental consent, and provide oversight. ELL Speak does not direct its service toward children for personal use.

What Data We Collect

Information we collect

• Student first name and grade level
• Teacher-assigned username and class code
• Voice recordings made during learning activities
• Activity completion and progress data
• Teacher-assigned scores and feedback notes

Information we do not collect

• Student email addresses
• Home addresses or phone numbers
• Social security or government ID numbers
• Behavioral advertising or tracking data
• Geolocation data
• Photos or video of students

We collect only the minimum data necessary to provide the educational service. Student data is never used for advertising, sold to third parties, or shared outside the scope described in this policy.

Data Retention & Deletion

We retain student data only as long as it is needed for the educational purpose for which it was collected.

Active Enrollment

Student data is retained while the student is actively enrolled in a teacher's class on ELL Speak.

Teacher Account Closure

When a teacher's account is closed, all associated student accounts and recordings are permanently deleted within 30 days.

Parental Deletion Request

Upon a verified parental request, we will delete all data associated with the child's account within 10 business days.

Voice Recordings

Voice recordings are deleted when the associated student account is removed, or sooner upon a verified parental request.

Service Providers and Processors

We use the following providers to operate ELL Speak. We do not share student personal information with third parties for advertising, marketing, or unrelated commercial purposes.

• Neon: Database hosting for account, activity, and progress data.
• Google Cloud Storage via Replit Object Storage: Secure storage for teacher-uploaded activity images and student voice recordings.
• SendGrid: Administrative email notifications to teachers. No student email addresses are processed.

Security Practices

We use reasonable and industry-standard technical and organizational measures to protect student data.

• HTTPS Encryption: Data transmitted between your browser and our servers is encrypted using TLS/SSL.
• Encrypted Storage: Student data and voice recordings are stored in encrypted cloud infrastructure.
• Access Controls: Student recordings and data are accessible only to the assigned teacher, not to other teachers or the public.
• No Public Profiles: Students have no public-facing profiles, usernames, or content visible outside their classroom.

No method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. In the event of a data breach affecting student data, we will notify affected teachers and take appropriate remedial action.

Parental Rights Under COPPA

Parents and legal guardians of students under 13 may request access to their child's information, request deletion, revoke consent, and refuse further collection. We respond within 10 business days at privacy@ellspeak.com.

• Review Your Child's Data: Request a copy of all personal information collected about your child.
• Request Deletion: Ask us to delete your child's account and all associated data, including voice recordings.
• Refuse Further Collection: Withdraw consent and ask us to stop collecting any further information from your child.
• Direct Contact: Contact us directly — without going through your child's teacher — about your child's account.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy. For material changes affecting student data, we will notify teachers by email or prominent platform notice at least 30 days before the change takes effect.

Contact Us About Privacy

For questions about this policy, COPPA compliance, or parental rights, email privacy@ellspeak.com or use the contact form. We respond within 10 business days.