Effective Date: January 1, 2020

About SkillsUSA CONNECT

This privacy policy applies to SkillsUSA CONNECT owned and operated by SkillsUSA CONNECT. SkillsUSA CONNECT provides social collaboration solutions for its clients. This privacy policy describes how SkillsUSA CONNECT (“we”, "us," "our," or “SkillsUSA CONNECT”) collect and use your personally identifying information. It also describes the choices available to you regarding the use of your personally identifying information by SkillsUSA CONNECT and options available to you to access your information and request correction or deletion should you choose to do so.


SkillsUSA CONNECT does not sell any personally identifying information users may have submitted to us though our website. In addition, for lead generation or marketing purposes, we may ask individuals interested in obtaining more information about SkillsUSA CONNECT's products to voluntarily submit their contact information to us.
  

Information Collected or Tracked by SkillsUSA CONNECT

Information Submitted to SkillsUSA CONNECT

SkillsUSA CONNECT collects user-submitted information as a response to users wishing to be sent additional promotional information on SkillsUSA CONNECT's products. Personally identifying information would include information such as name, phone number, company, title, and email address.
  

Information Indirectly Submitted by Users to SkillsUSA CONNECT

We also use cookies and collect some information passively such as the client browser type and IP address information. This information is gathered for all users to our website to track usage and provide a personalized experience.


Collection of Information from Children Under 13

You must be 13 years of age or older to register an account on the SkillsUSA CONNECT Community or Blog.  To the extent that SkillsUSA CONNECT is able to determine the age of users by their submissions to, or communications with, this web site, SkillsUSA CONNECT will not knowingly collect or post information from individuals under thirteen years of age (“Children” or “Child”) without their parent’s or guardian’s verifiable consent, or (b) provide or otherwise make public any personally identifying information collected from Children, regardless of its source, to any third party for any purpose whatsoever.  

Use of Information Obtained by SkillsUSA CONNECT

Information Users Submit to SkillsUSA CONNECT

Information gathered is solely used to respond to a user's request for additional information on SkillsUSA CONNECT's products and services. We use your IP address and browser-type information in the general administration of our website.
 
 

Sharing of the Information This Site Gathers or Tracks

As a matter of policy we do not sell your personally identifying information. We may disclose your personally identifying information only in ways that are described in this privacy policy as stated below: 

•    to any third party with your consent
•    to companies that provide services to help us with business activities such as marketing or website analytics. These companies are authorized to use your personally identifying information only as necessary to provide these services to us.
•    when required by law to comply with a subpoena or other similar legal processes
•    when we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, protect your safety or the safety of others, investigate fraud, or comply with a law enforcement request
•    if SkillsUSA CONNECT becomes involved in a merger or acquisition, or any form of sale of some or all of its assets, we will provide notice when your personally identifying information becomes subject to a different privacy policy

Links to External Websites

This site may contain links to other websites not connected to SkillsUSA CONNECT. Please be aware that SkillsUSA CONNECT is not responsible for the privacy practices of other websites. We encourage users to be aware when they leave our site and to read the privacy statements of any website that collects personally identifying information. This privacy statement applies solely to information collected by this website.
  

Special Offers and Updates

We will occasionally send you information on products, services, special events, and promotions. You can sign up for these emails from us on our website. Out of respect for your privacy, we present the option not to receive these types of communications.  
  

Use of Cookies and other Tracking Technologies

Technologies such as: cookies, Web beacons, tags and scripts are used by SkillsUSA CONNECT and our partners, affiliates, or analytics or service providers. These technologies are used in analyzing trends, administering the site, tracking users’ movements around the site and to gather demographic information about our user base as a whole. We may receive reports based on the use of these technologies by these companies on an individual, as well as aggregated basis.


We use cookies to remember users’ settings (e.g. language preference) and for authentication. Users can control the use of cookies at the individual browser level. If you reject cookies, you may still use our site, but your ability to use some features or areas of our site may be limited. We use Local Storage Objects (LSOs) such as HTML5 to store content information and preferences.


As is true of most web sites, we gather certain information automatically and store it in log files. This information may include internet protocol (IP) addresses, browser type, referring/exit pages, browser type and operating system, date/time stamp, and/or clickstream data. We do not link this automatically collected data to other information we collect about you.
  

Blogs and Online Community

Our website offers publicly accessible blogs and an online community for our customers and partners. You should be aware that any information you provide in these areas may be read, collected, and used by others who access them. To request removal of your personal information from our blog or online community, contact us at info@skillsusa.org. In some cases, we may not be able to remove your personal information, in which case we will let you know if we are unable to do so and why.  Users registering for our blog or online community agree to our Terms of Service.
  

Testimonials

We display personal testimonials of satisfied customers on our site in addition to other endorsements. With your consent we may post your testimonial along with your name. If you wish to update or delete your testimonial, you can contact us at info@skillsusa.org.
  

Changes in Our Privacy Policy

This Privacy notice may change from time to time, so please review it frequently for any updates or changes. If we make material changes to this policy we will notify you by email (sent to the e-mail address specified in your account) or by means of a notice on our website prior to the change becoming effective.
  

Access to Your Personally Identifying Information

Users can update or correct their personally identifiable information or remove it from our contact list by emailing us at info@skillsusa.org. Users can expect a response to their access requests within ten (10) business days or less.
  

Security of Your Personally Identifying Information

SkillsUSA CONNECT takes steps to protect data from loss, misuse, and unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction, whether in trans mission or storage.  Please keep in mind, however, no method of transmission over the Internet, or any method of electronic storage is perfectly secure. If you have any questions about security on our website, you can email us at info@skillsusa.org.
  

Choices and Opt-out Options

Users that have registered for an account on our blog or online community may adjust their privacy, notifications, and subscriptions settings by logging into their account and making the appropriate changes. Additionally, users who no longer wish to receive our updates or newsletters may opt-out of receiving these communications by following the instructions contained in the mailer or by emailing us at info@skillsusa.org. Please include the term “OPT-OUT” in the subject line immediately followed by your email address.
  

Data Retention

We will retain your contact information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide your services. If you wish to cancel your account or request that we no longer use your information to provide services, contact us at info@skillsusa.org. Please include the term “OPT-OUT” in the subject line immediately followed by your email address. We will retain and use your information as necessary to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements.
  

Contacting Us

If you have any questions about this privacy statement, the practices of this website, or your dealings with this website, please email us at info@skillsusa.org or write us at the following address:


SkillsUSA

14001 SkillsUSA Way

Leesburg, VA 20176

 

FERPA

I. Purpose

SkillsUSA Student Data Privacy Policy

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that SkillsUSA and its member organizations take appropriate steps to protect any personally identifiable information (PII) of students and related data. Although SkillsUSA is not an educational institution as defined in 34 CFR Part 99, SkillsUSA is committed to ensuring that all PII is protected and that SkillsUSA members are made aware of all rights and responsibilities regarding protecting PII.

II. Information Collected

Throughout the various platforms and databases that SkillsUSA uses to register, inform, and provide services to member organizations and individuals, the required data from participants often falls under the definition of “directory information” under 34 CFR § 99.3. This information can include, but is not limited to, a student’s name; address; telephone number; and email address. SkillsUSA does not request social security numbers. Schools and/or students have the option to enter school-provided student identification numbers. In many cases, under our agreements with member organizations, SkillsUSA is performing an institutional service or function that a member would otherwise assign to its own employees, under the direct control of the member organization and according to the criteria specified in the member’s annual FERPA notification. As such, SkillsUSA is acting as a school official and, therefore, is covered under the school official exemption under FERPA at 34 CFR § 99.31(a)(1).

While SkillsUSA requests information related to ethnicity, socio-economic and other demographics, this information is optional for students to share, and in addition to the questions being optional, most questions contain a “prefer to not respond” answer option. This information is in an aggregated format and does not identify any specific student and is used for analytical purposes only. This allows SkillsUSA to report on how students at a national or state level responded to the demographic and socio-economic questions. If, at a future point in time, SkillsUSA collects data containing PII other than directory information, we will follow all applicable regulations regarding the protection and disclosure of that data if the need arises.

If you wish to access, modify, or delete other personal information that you have provided to SkillsUSA, such as your address, please contact us at connect@skillsusa.org for assistance.
We will retain your information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you services. Please contact us if you wish to cancel your account or request that we no longer use your information to provide you services. We will retain and use your information as necessary to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes and enforce our agreements. Otherwise, SkillsUSA will download user data on a quarterly basis, retain that data for one year, and then dispose of the previous year’s data.
 

III. Use of Information

Generic information like names and email addresses are used for members’ personal accounts and to provide specific services. Such information will be used to issue invoices, administer accounts, collect and process payments and send information about SkillsUSA and our services. Individuals may opt-out of mailings at any time if they do not wish to receive non-business critical information from us.

Demographic information is combined with monitoring trends in individuals registering and participating in SkillsUSA programs and is not tied to individual accounts. Data is shared only with operation-critical third-party vendors connected directly to the functionality of the online curricular resources and reporting. Data is not shared with other third-party vendors, and contact information is not provided to any commercial or non-commercial entities.
SkillsUSA takes appropriate steps to protect the security of all personal information that is collected and stored. Security policies, rules, and technical measures are implemented to protect the personal data from unauthorized access, improper use or disclosure; unauthorized modification; and unlawful destruction or accidental loss.

If SkillsUSA becomes aware of a systems security breach by an unauthorized party or that any user data was used for an unauthorized purpose, we will comply with relevant state and other data breach laws. We will notify users of any breach resulting in an unauthorized release of data electronically, at minimum, and without unreasonable delay so that you can take appropriate steps. The notification will include the date of the breach, the types of information that were subject to the breach, general description of what occurred and steps SkillsUSA is taking to address the breach.

All employees who have access to, and are associated with the processing of personal data, are obliged to respect the confidentiality of all PII, have undergone background checks, and have received COPPA and FERPA training.
SkillsUSA does not share PII with any third-party organizations without prior written consent from its members. Even in cases where SkillsUSA is performing an institutional service or function that a member would otherwise assign to its own employees, under the direct control of the member organization and according to the criteria specified in the member’s annual FERPA notification, SkillsUSA will still follow all applicable FERPA rules regarding the use and protection against unauthorized disclosure of all PII involved.

Portions of the SkillsUSA LMS and the Website contain functions for collecting personal information, including names and email addresses, as well as an individual’s or account’s access history. SkillsUSA may also collect and track other personally identifiable and non-personally identifiable information about you, such as your I.P. address, the type of browser you use, and the website you visited before visiting our website or SkillsUSA services.

If you are using the SkillsUSA LMS as an educational institution, student information may be visible during customer support and/or troubleshooting. Personally identifiable information such as Student Name; Student Email Address; file names; creation dates of files; login dates and times; and third-party applications that students use could be viewed on our service by product support staff.

If you register to use the {SkillsUSA Service} or express interest in obtaining additional information, SkillsUSA requires you to provide your contact information, such as your name, school name, address, and email address. SkillsUSA may also ask for additional personal information, such as title, phone number, or other demographic or socio-economic information. You can opt-out of providing this additional information by not entering it when asked.

IV. Rights and Responsibilities

While SkillsUSA is not an educational institution subject to the requirements of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), except in cases where members outsource institutional services or functions to SkillsUSA, we are a national membership organization, with state and local chapters, that serves students attending institutions that are subject to FERPA, including high schools, colleges, middle schools, and other non-federal entities. All member organizations have the right to review student information provided to SkillsUSA and can request information be deleted or refuse to permit further collection or use of student data that has been provided. Members may make use of this right by contacting connect@skillsusa.org and making such requests.

In light of this expansive membership, SkillsUSA is committed to helping member educational institutions stay in compliance with FERPA and its implementing regulations at 34 CFR Part 99. As noted above, the data that SkillsUSA collects is primarily directory information. Educational institutions that disclose directory information do not have to seek prior written consent from students or parents, as noted in 34 CFR § 99.31(a)(11). However, all educational institutions that might share this information with SkillsUSA must provide annual notification regarding this disclosure to parents and eligible students, including the right to opt-out of such disclosures. See 34 CFR § 99.37(a). Examples of such notifications can be found on the U.S. Department of Education’s Student Privacy Policy Office’s Website at: https://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/index.html.

Although SkillsUSA often qualifies for the school official exception under 34 CFR § 99.31(a)(1), it will still notify registering individuals when any non-directory information is required, and students or program directors may choose not to provide certain demographic information. Any non-directory information that is collected is used solely for tracking registration and performance trends and is not tied directly to individuals. Any non-directory information submitted by an individual is destroyed once annually or upon school administrator request.

Information provided to SkillsUSA may be used to transmit, distribute, modify, reproduce, display and store the student data solely for the purposes of providing the services as contemplated by the user’s agreement with SkillsUSA. Any internal use of information for maintaining, supporting, evaluating, improving, and developing our products, applications, and service, and for enforcing our rights under various agreements, will include all appropriate steps to protect all personally-identifiable information from unauthorized disclosure.

In the event that SkillsUSA is involved in a merger, reorganization, dissolution, sale of business or assets or similar event, information disclosed to or collected by SkillsUSA may be transferred to SkillsUSA’s’ successor, or to the purchaser of such assets, as applicable. You will be notified via email and a prominent notice on our website of any change in ownership or uses of your personal information as well as any choices you may have regarding your personal information. This policy may change from time to time, so please review it frequently for any updates or changes. If we make material changes to this policy, we will notify you via email (sent to the email address specified in your account) or by means of a notice on our website at least 30 days prior to the change becoming effective.

SkillsUSA conducts regular security reviews of all systems through which student data is collected, maintained and transmitted. Members may request the results of such audits by contacting connect@skillsusa.org. Additionally, SkillsUSA ensures that all employees and staff that collect, handle, or transmit student data are trained on all FERPA-related requirements to ensure student data is protected.

V. Questions and Contact Information

SkillsUSA welcomes comments and questions on this policy. We are dedicated to protecting your personal information and will make every reasonable effort to keep that information secure. If you believe that SkillsUSA has not adhered to this Privacy Policy, please contact us electronically or via postal mail at the address provided below, and we will use commercially reasonable efforts to promptly determine and remedy the problem.
If you have any questions, please contact us: connect@skillsusa.org

SkillsUSA
14001 SkillsUSA Way
Leesburg, VA 20176
703-777-8810
FAX: 703-777-8999

The information you provide to us will also be covered by this policy, and SkillsUSA will work to reply to your questions or comments within 30 days.

Effective Date: January 1, 2020

The following are the Terms of Service for the SkillsUSA CONNECT Website, Blog and Online Community (collectively the "SkillsUSA CONNECT Site"). Use of the SkillsUSA CONNECT Site indicates you accept these terms. If you do not accept these terms, please do not use the SkillsUSA CONNECT Site.

PURPOSE

The SkillsUSA CONNECT Community is designed to serve as a resource to SkillsUSA CONNECT customers and partners. The SkillsUSA CONNECT Community helps us and other members answer questions, share ideas, connect with one another, and benefit from the collective experiences of the community. The SkillsUSA CONNECT Blog is designed to be available to SkillsUSA CONNECT customers and partners, as well as anyone with an interest in online communities, collaboration, and building engagement.

Our community is nothing without you, and we thank you for your participation.

WAYS TO PARTICIPATE

Just get started. You can introduce yourself, ask a question, submit an idea, click to recognize submissions, or even help answer questions that other members have. The more you share, the better it is for everyone. If you're reading this and don't have a profile photo, feel free to add one. Attaching a name to a face helps build community for everyone.

 
HOW TO ACT

We're almost embarrassed to include this because our community members have been so great thus far. But, if you're wondering some simple things can help:

1. Be positive. Everyone loves a positive personality.

2. Be helpful. Everyone is here looking to learn and get better.

3. Share. You have great experiences that can help others. Share them.

4. Be smart. Don't share anything that you wouldn't want up on the Web or items you do not have permission to share. That also goes for copyrighted materials.

THE LEGALESE

What You Can't Do

You may not use your registered account (or allow anyone else to use your registered account) to post or transmit:

• Content that is threatening, defamatory, abusive, hateful, offensive, fraudulent, discloses private matters of another person

• Political or religious statements or commentary.

• Anything that intentionally violates any applicable law or regulation

• Any material that you don't have the right to transmit under law, such as copyright, trade secret, or securities, or under contractual or fiduciary relationships, such as nondisclosure agreements.

• Language that promotes illegal activity or discusses illegal activities with the intent to commit them. This includes any message that solicits or promotes the use of an illegal substance.

• An attempt to impersonate another person

• Private information, such as social security numbers.

• Advertising, promotional materials, or other forms of solicitation.

• Any file or link to a file that contains viruses, "Trojan Horses," corrupted files, or any other contaminating or destructive features that may damage someone else's computer.

• Messages designed to evade profanity or other filters.

• Hyperlinks that lead to sites that violate any of our guidelines.

If you find a violation of these Terms of Service, please notify us by using one of the "Objectionable" links, or contact us directly at info@skillsusa.org.

Your use of the SkillsUSA CONNECT Site is subject to SkillsUSA CONNECT's Privacy Policy.

Via Mail
SkillsUSA CONNECT
14001 SkillsUSA Way
Leesburg, Virginia 20176-5494

Via Email
connect@skillsusa.org

In accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, your notification must include:

COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT

If you believe that work belonging to you is displayed on or has been copied onto the SkillsUSA CONNECT Site without your permission, please notify by sending a written notification of claimed infringement:

• A physical or electronic signature of a person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.

• Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed, or, if multiple copyrighted works at a single online site are covered by a single notification, a representative list of such works at that site.

• Identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing or to be the subject of infringing activity and that is to be removed or access to which is to be disabled, and information reasonably sufficient to permit us to locate the material.

• Information reasonably sufficient to permit us to contact the complaining party, such as an address, telephone number, and, if available, an electronic mail address at which the complaining party may be contacted.

• A statement that the complaining party has a good faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.

• A statement that the information in the notification is accurate, and under penalty of perjury, that the complaining party is authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.

SUBMISSIONS

Any ideas, suggestions, information, know-how, material, or other content (collectively, “Content”) posted or received on the SkillsUSA CONNECT Community or Blog will be deemed to include a royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, transferable, worldwide, nonexclusive right and license for SkillsUSA CONNECT to adopt, publish, reproduce, disseminate, transmit, distribute, copy, use, create derivative works, display, (in whole or part), or act on such Content without additional approval or consideration, in any form, media, or technology now known or later developed.   

AGE

You must be 13 years of age or older to register an account on the SkillsUSA CONNECT Community.

UNAUTHORIZED USE

If you believe your login or password information has been compromised or any unauthorized use of your account or other breach of security has occurred, you are responsible for promptly notifying us. You can notify us by sending an email to connect@skillsusa.org. We reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to reject, refuse to post, or remove any posting (including private messages) by you, or to deny, restrict, suspend, or terminate your access to all or any part of the SkillsUSA CONNECT Site at any time, for any reason, with or without prior notice or explanation without liability.

MODIFICATIONS

SkillsUSA CONNECT reserves the right to modify these Terms of Service at any time.

DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES

Use of the SkillsUSA CONNECT Site is provided on an "as is" basis without warranty of any kind, express or implied. You expressly agree that the use of the SkillsUSA CONNECT Site is at your sole risk. SkillsUSA CONNECT does not warrant that the site will be uninterrupted or error free, nor does SkillsUSA CONNECT make any warranty as to any results that may be obtained by use of the service. SkillsUSA CONNECT makes no other warranties, expressed or implied, including, but not limited to, any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose, in relation to the service.

DISCLAIMER; LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

SkillsUSA CONNECT accepts no responsibility for the opinions and information posted or circulated by the users of SkillsUSA CONNECT.  SkillsUSA CONNECT cannot warrant the accuracy of any information posted on the SkillsUSA CONNECT Community or Blog and SkillsUSA CONNECT disclaims all warranties with regard to information posted or circulated on the SkillsUSA CONNECT Community or Blog.  Under no circumstances shall SkillsUSA CONNECT be liable to you or any other person for any damages, including without limitation, direct, indirect, incidental, consequential or punitive damages arising out of or relating to this agreement or the use of the service or site. Your sole and exclusive remedy hereunder shall be for you to discontinue your use of the site and terminate this agreement.

INDEMNIFICATION

You agree to indemnify, hold harmless and defend SkillsUSA CONNECT, its shareholders, directors, officers, employees and agents from and against any action, cause, claim, damage, debt, demand or liability, including reasonable costs and attorney's fees, asserted by any person, arising out of or relating to: (a) this Agreement; (b) your use of the SkillsUSA CONNECT Site, including any data or work transmitted or received by you; (c) your use of or posting any materials that infringe third party intellectual property, right of publicity or right of privacy rights; or (d) any libelous, slanderous, indecent or other statement concerning any person made or republished by you.

GOVERNING LAW AND VENUE

These Terms of Service constitute a binding agreement. Failure to comply with these Terms of Service may result in account revocation and other legal action. The laws of the Virginia, United States of America, shall govern the Terms of Service and the relationship between you and SkillsUSA CONNECT, without regard to conflict of law provisions. You and SkillsUSA CONNECT agree to submit to the personal and exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts serving the county of Loudoun County, Virginia, United States of America.