Question 1

What is FERPA and why does it matter for school AI?

Accepted Answer

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. Schools receiving federal funding must restrict access to those records and disclose them only under specific conditions. When a school uses an AI platform that accesses student data, it typically must have a School Official agreement in place - a contract establishing that the vendor uses data only for the school's purposes. Campus Hive AI is designed to operate within that framework, but each school must confirm the agreement covers its specific use cases.

Question 2

What is COPPA and when does it apply?

Accepted Answer

The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) restricts the collection of personal information from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent. For school platforms, COPPA allows schools to authorize data collection on behalf of parents when the tool is used solely for an educational purpose. FERPA and COPPA are distinct laws with different scopes. Whether COPPA applies to a given use of Campus Hive AI depends on the students served, the data collected, and how the school has configured the platform. Schools should review this with their legal or privacy team.

Question 3

Is Campus Hive AI guaranteed to make a school FERPA or COPPA compliant?

Accepted Answer

No. Compliance is a school-specific legal and operational determination. Campus Hive AI provides controls designed to support school responsibilities - contractual boundaries, technical safeguards, and governed AI workflows - but each school must review its own policies, vendor agreements, data practices, and legal obligations. This page describes controls, not certifications.

Question 4

What contractual controls does Campus Hive AI provide?

Accepted Answer

The platform operates under documented agreements that define the permitted scope of data use, assign responsibilities to the school and vendor, and address data retention, return, and deletion. These agreements are designed to support a School Official designation under FERPA. Schools should request and review the current Data Processing Agreement or equivalent documentation before adopting the platform, and confirm the agreement reflects their specific use cases.

Question 5

What technical controls protect student data?

Accepted Answer

Campus Hive AI is built with role-based access controls, permission boundaries aligned to school-configured workflows, and data handling designed to keep connected school data within approved integrations. The platform includes monitoring and logging to support incident identification and escalation. Schools should review current technical documentation - not marketing claims - to verify that safeguards match their requirements. Technical controls are regularly updated; always check the most current product documentation.

Question 6

How do integrations like PowerSchool stay within approved boundaries?

Accepted Answer

Data flowing through Campus Hive AI integrations - including student information systems, communications tools, and reporting platforms - is scoped to the workflows the school authorizes. The platform does not use student data for purposes outside the school's configured use cases. Schools should confirm integration scope with their IT team and review the data-flow documentation for each connected system.

Question 7

What does governed AI mean for student privacy?

Accepted Answer

Governed AI means that AI-generated outputs - summaries, recommendations, drafted communications - are presented to authorized staff for review before action is taken. Staff own the decision. The AI supports routine work and surfaces clear next steps, but sensitive questions, exceptions, and high-stakes outputs are routed to the appropriate person. This design limits the risk of unsupervised AI acting on student data.

Question 8

How does human oversight work in practice?

Accepted Answer

In Campus Hive AI workflows, staff members review AI-generated content before it is sent or acted upon. Enrollment follow-up drafts, board report summaries, and family communications all require a staff member to approve or edit before delivery. Sensitive inquiries from families are flagged for staff response rather than answered autonomously. This keeps authorized school staff accountable for decisions that affect students and families.

Question 9

Who should review a school AI platform's privacy controls?

Accepted Answer

The review should involve school leaders with operational authority, IT and security staff who can assess technical safeguards, privacy or legal reviewers who can evaluate contractual terms, procurement teams responsible for vendor approval, and the owners of affected workflows such as enrollment, communications, and reporting. Responsibilities vary by school size and governance structure.

Question 10

What is AI vendor oversight and why does it matter?

Accepted Answer

AI vendor oversight is the process of reviewing a vendor's contracts, technical protections, data practices, governance model, and accountability mechanisms before and during use. Schools should document who approved the tool, which staff members review its use on an ongoing basis, and how concerns or incidents are escalated. This process protects the school if questions arise later about how student data was handled.

Question 11

What should a school review before adopting Campus Hive AI?

Accepted Answer

Work through these five steps: (1) Confirm what student data and operational workflows are within the scope of the platform. (2) Request and review the Data Processing Agreement - confirm data-use limits, retention terms, and deletion procedures. (3) Verify technical safeguards with current product documentation, not marketing copy. (4) Assign governance responsibilities - identify who approves the tool, who reviews AI outputs, and who handles escalations. (5) Document your approval decision and schedule a recurring review, at least annually, to confirm controls still match your policies and use cases.

Question 12

How does this apply to board reporting, enrollment, and family communication?

Accepted Answer

Campus Hive AI connects school data across board reporting, enrollment follow-up, family communication, and cross-campus visibility. In each workflow, AI surfaces summaries and drafts for staff review - it does not send communications or publish reports autonomously. Sensitive family questions are routed to authorized staff. Governed AI and human oversight reduce administrative burden without removing the staff judgment that protects student privacy.

FERPA & COPPA Support

FERPA, COPPA, and School AI - What Schools Need to Know

FERPA and COPPA Basics for School AI