Privacy Policy

1. Scope & International Applicability

This Privacy Policy details how Sido School LLC ("we," "us," or "our") collects, processes, stores, and protects personal data obtained through sidoschool.net. While Sido School is a United States entity governed by U.S. federal and Florida state law, we actively facilitate academic exchanges involving students, families, and partner schools across the European Union (EU), European Economic Area (EEA), and the United Kingdom (UK). Accordingly, this policy incorporates standards aligned with the General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR) and the UK GDPR.

2. Categories of Information We Collect

To evaluate student candidacy, coordinate school placements, and vet prospective host families, we collect the following categories of information:

Contact & Identification Data: Full legal names, email addresses, telephone numbers, home mailing addresses, dates of birth, nationality, and passport/visa information (when requested during active placement).
Academic & Exchange Records: Current educational institution, academic transcripts, language proficiency assessments, personal statements, educator recommendations, and student program preferences.
Parent / Guardian Records: Guardian names, phone numbers, email addresses, emergency contacts, and signed parental authorization agreements.
Host Family Inquiries: Household composition, residence characteristics, lifestyle preferences, and preliminary hosting eligibility background.
Technical & Device Analytics: IP addresses, browser characteristics, operating systems, referring URLs, and user navigation paths collected through essential cookies and privacy-respecting analytics.

3. Legal Bases for Processing (EU/EEA & UK Users)

Pursuant to Article 6 of the GDPR, we process personal data of individuals located in the EU, EEA, and UK under the following lawful bases:

Contractual Necessity (Art. 6(1)(b)): Processing necessary to take steps at your request prior to entering into an exchange agreement, evaluating eligibility, and coordinating academic placement.
Legitimate Interests (Art. 6(1)(f)): Processing necessary to ensure program safety, safeguard minor welfare, secure our web infrastructure, prevent fraud, and communicate administrative updates.
Consent (Art. 6(1)(a)): Processing based on explicit consent for optional marketing communications or non-essential tracking cookies, which may be withdrawn at any time.
Legal Obligation (Art. 6(1)(c)): Processing required to satisfy statutory child protection, immigration reporting, tax, or international exchange compliance mandates.

4. Cross-Border Data Transfers (EU to U.S.)

Sido School LLC is based and operated in the United States. When you submit information through sidoschool.net from Europe:

Server Location: Your information will be transferred to, stored, and processed on secure servers within the United States.
Transfer Safeguards: We implement appropriate administrative, physical, and technical safeguards, as well as European Commission-approved Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) where applicable with service providers, ensuring an adequate level of data protection.

5. Sharing & Disclosure of Personal Data

We never sell, rent, or commercialize your personal information. Data is shared strictly as necessary to execute exchange services:

Exchange Stakeholders: Prospective student profiles are shared with vetted host families, local community exchange coordinators, and accredited receiving schools.
Service Providers: Contracted IT infrastructure, cloud hosting, secure email services, and student management platforms operating under strict confidentiality agreements.
Legal & Regulatory Authorities: Immigration, law enforcement, or child welfare authorities when required by law or formal legal process.

6. Children's Privacy (COPPA & GDPR Article 8)

We implement heightened safeguards for minor participants:

Guardian Consent: Under COPPA (U.S.) and GDPR Article 8 (EU/UK), we do not knowingly collect personal data directly from children under 13 (or under 16 where required by European national law) without verifiable parental/guardian consent.
Parental Authority: All inquiry submissions involving minors must be authorized by a parent or legal guardian. Parents have the continuous right to inspect, correct, or request the deletion of their child's records.

7. European Data Subject Rights (GDPR & UK GDPR)

Users located in the EU, EEA, or UK have specific statutory rights:

Right of Access: The right to obtain confirmation of data processing and request a copy of your personal data.
Right to Rectification: The right to have inaccurate or incomplete data updated promptly.
Right to Erasure: The right to request deletion of personal data where retention is no longer legally justified.
Right to Restriction: The right to request restricted processing under specific dispute situations.
Right to Data Portability: The right to receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format.
Right to Object: The right to object to processing grounded in legitimate interests.
Right to Lodge a Complaint: The right to file a complaint with your national Data Protection Authority (DPA) in the EU or the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) in the UK.

8. Data Retention & Information Security

We retain personal information only for the duration required to achieve program evaluation and placement, satisfy statutory tax and exchange record requirements, and uphold student safety audits. We employ rigorous technical and organizational safeguards, including SSL/TLS transport encryption and strict role-based access limits, to protect against unauthorized data exposure.

9. Exercising Your Rights & Contact Details

To submit a Data Subject Access Request (DSAR) or inquire about our privacy practices, contact our Privacy Office:

Email: privacy@sido-school.com
Phone: (772) 666-3180
Mailing Address: Sido School LLC, 3503 Ocean Dr Ste A, Vero Beach, FL 32963, United States

• Effective Date: October 4, 2026
• Website: https://sidoschool.net
• Entity / Operator: Sido School LLC
• Data Controller: Sido School LLC