Privacy Policy

Who We Are

Virtual Science Teachers ("VST," "we," "us," or "our") is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to support science teachers and create engaging, skill-building resources that help students develop a strong foundation in science.

We partner with teachers to help build a scientifically literate society and believe everyone deserves access to high-quality science learning resources.

Teacher Membership accounts, newsletter signup forms, email subscriptions, and other account-based features are intended for adults and are not intended for student registration.

This Privacy Policy applies to the Virtual Science Teachers website and related services, including public educational resources, Teacher Memberships, website forms, newsletters, email subscriptions, donations, event registrations, and general informational pages.

Information We Collect

Public Online Educational Resources

Students and other visitors can use VST's public online educational resources without creating an account.

VST does not ask students to provide their names, email addresses, usernames, school information, or other identifying information in order to access our public online educational resources.

Limited technical information may be processed automatically when anyone visits the website, as described later in this policy.

Information You Voluntarily Provide

Adults may choose to provide personal information when they:

• Create or manage a VST Teacher Membership
• Contact VST by email or through a website form
• Subscribe to the VST newsletter or resource updates
• Request educational materials
• Register for an event or webinar
• Make a donation
• Request membership, account, or technical support

Depending on the interaction, this information may include a name, email address, username, organization or school affiliation, professional role, state or region, account information, or information voluntarily included in a message.

These forms and account features are intended for adults, including teachers, parents, homeschool educators, school administrators, district leaders, nonprofit partners, and other education professionals.

VST Teacher Memberships

VST offers optional paid Teacher Memberships that provide educators with access to additional classroom resources and teacher tools. These may include printable worksheets, editable materials when available, and other teacher-member resources.

When an adult creates or maintains a Teacher Membership account, VST may process information such as:

• Name
• Email address
• Username and account credentials
• Membership level
• Membership and subscription status
• Transaction and payment status
• Account preferences
• Membership-related communications
• Account authentication and security information

VST uses Paid Memberships Pro within WordPress to help manage membership registration, member accounts, membership levels, subscriptions, and access to protected teacher resources.

Teacher Resources Used With Students

Some resources available through Teacher Membership are designed for teachers to print, download, edit, or provide to students for classroom use.

Students do not need VST membership accounts to complete teacher-provided worksheets or other downloaded classroom materials.

VST does not receive information that students write on a printed or downloaded worksheet unless that information is separately submitted to VST through another service.

Membership Payments

VST uses Stripe to process payments for VST Teacher Memberships.

When an adult purchases a membership, Stripe may process information necessary to complete and manage the transaction, including payment information, contact information, billing information, transaction amount, payment status, and subscription information.

Payment card information is processed through Stripe's payment systems. VST may receive and retain transaction information needed to administer the membership, such as membership level, payment status, subscription status, transaction date, renewal information, or transaction identifiers.

Stripe processes information according to its own privacy policies and legal obligations.

Account Security and Two-Factor Authentication

VST uses account security measures, including two-factor authentication (2FA), to help protect user accounts and teacher resources.

Depending on the authentication method being used, security-related information may include:

• Whether two-factor authentication has been enabled
• Authentication settings
• One-time verification codes
• Authentication or security tokens
• Backup or recovery information
• Login or account-security events

Security-related messages, such as verification codes, account lock notifications, password-related notices, and account-recovery messages, are administrative communications. They may be sent regardless of whether a user has subscribed to VST marketing or newsletter emails.

VST does not use authentication information for advertising or marketing.

Newsletter, Email Subscriptions, and Mailchimp

VST offers an optional newsletter and other email communications for adults who would like to receive educational resources, VST updates, event announcements, and related information.

Newsletter signup is voluntary.

VST uses Mailchimp to help manage email subscriptions, contact lists, newsletters, resource updates, and applicable adult-facing forms.

Information processed through Mailchimp may include:

• Name
• Email address
• Organization, school, or professional role, if provided
• Subscription preferences
• Form submission information
• Email delivery information
• Email engagement information, such as email opens or link clicks, when those features are enabled

VST uses Mailchimp for nonprofit communications, educational updates, resource sharing, event announcements, and contact management.

VST does not use Mailchimp to create student profiles, intentionally target children with marketing, or sell personal information.

Adults may unsubscribe from newsletter or marketing emails at any time using the unsubscribe link included in those emails or by contacting VST.

Unsubscribing from marketing communications does not prevent VST from sending necessary administrative messages, such as membership notices, payment or subscription notices, authentication codes, security notifications, responses to inquiries, or event-related information.

Website Analytics

VST uses Koko Analytics to understand general website usage, such as website visits, page views, and referring sources.

VST uses Koko Analytics in cookieless mode. In this configuration, analytics cookies are not placed on visitors' devices.

To distinguish visits without an analytics cookie, limited technical information, including an IP address and browser information, may be processed temporarily to create a one-way identifier. The raw IP address and browser user-agent information are not stored by Koko Analytics as part of this cookieless analytics process.

Koko Analytics operates within VST's WordPress website rather than sending VST's analytics data to an external analytics platform for advertising purposes.

VST uses analytics information to understand broad website usage, improve resources, maintain website performance, and understand which resources visitors find useful.

Information Processed Automatically

Like most websites, VST and the technology services used to operate and protect the website may automatically process limited technical information when someone visits or interacts with the site.

This information may include:

• IP address
• Browser and device type
• Operating system
• General location, such as city or region
• Pages visited
• Basic website interaction information
• Referring website or link
• Date and time of access
• Login or authentication events
• Security-related activity

This information may be used to:

• Operate and maintain the website
• Protect user accounts
• Maintain website security
• Detect suspicious or abusive activity
• Prevent fraud or misuse
• Troubleshoot technical problems
• Maintain website performance
• Understand broad website usage patterns

IP addresses may be temporarily processed or retained by website hosting, security, authentication, or infrastructure systems when reasonably necessary to operate and secure the website.

VST does not use IP addresses or other technical information to create student profiles or for behavioral advertising.

Embedded Educational Content

Some VST pages contain embedded educational or informational content provided through third-party services, such as Canva or Genially.

When embedded content loads, the third-party service may automatically receive limited technical information such as an IP address, browser information, or device information.

Where available, VST uses education-focused and non-advertising configurations for instructional content. VST does not intentionally enable behavioral advertising or remarketing features in student-facing instructional resources.

Third-party embedded-content providers operate according to their own privacy policies.

Social Media

If you choose to interact with Virtual Science Teachers through a social media platform, VST may see information that you make publicly available through that platform, such as comments, likes, shares, or public profile information.

Information you provide directly through a social media service is also subject to that service's privacy practices.

Children's Privacy

Protecting children's privacy is especially important to Virtual Science Teachers.

Students Can Use Public VST Resources Without Accounts

VST's public online science resources are designed so that students can access and use them without creating a VST account or providing identifying information to VST.

Students are not required to provide a name, email address, username, school, or other personal information to use VST's public online educational resources.

Teacher Memberships Are for Adults

VST Teacher Membership accounts are intended for educators and other adults. They are not student accounts.

Teachers may use membership resources with students, including printing, editing, downloading, or distributing classroom materials. Students do not need to create VST accounts to use those teacher-provided resources.

Newsletters and Adult Forms

VST newsletter subscriptions, email signup forms, Teacher Membership registration, general contact forms, and similar account-based features are intended for adults.

These services may be used by adults such as:

• Teachers
• Parents and guardians
• Homeschool educators
• School administrators
• District leaders
• Nonprofit partners
• Education professionals and decision-makers

No Knowing Collection of Children's Personal Information

VST does not knowingly ask children under 13 to provide personal information through memberships, newsletters, marketing lists, or other adult account features.

If VST becomes aware that personal information from a child under 13 was inadvertently submitted directly to VST, we will take reasonable steps to delete the information when appropriate.

A parent or guardian may contact admin@virtualscienceteachers.com regarding personal information they believe a child submitted directly to VST.

Cookies and Local Storage

VST uses Koko Analytics in cookieless mode and does not use analytics cookies for Koko Analytics.

VST may use functional, technical, or security-related cookies and similar technologies when necessary to:

• Keep the website functioning properly
• Maintain authenticated login sessions
• Provide VST Teacher Membership account features
• Support two-factor authentication
• Protect accounts and the website
• Remember necessary preferences or session information
• Support accessibility and usability

These functional technologies are not used by VST to create student advertising profiles.

VST does not intentionally use behavioral advertising or remarketing cookies on its student-facing educational resources.

Third-party services, including embedded-content providers, payment processors, or email tools, may use cookies or similar technologies when their services are loaded or used. Those third parties operate according to their own privacy practices.

Visitors may manage cookies through their browser settings, although blocking necessary cookies may prevent certain login, membership, security, or website features from functioning correctly.

How We Use Personal Information

VST may use personal information to:

• Provide and manage VST Teacher Memberships
• Create and maintain adult member accounts
• Provide access to protected teacher resources
• Process and administer membership subscriptions
• Authenticate users and protect accounts
• Provide two-factor authentication and account security
• Respond to inquiries and communications
• Provide membership, customer, or technical support
• Send educational resources and communications requested by adults
• Manage newsletter and email subscriptions
• Share event, webinar, program, or resource announcements
• Process donations and event registrations
• Maintain and improve website functionality
• Detect and prevent fraud, misuse, or harmful activity
• Protect VST, its users, and its website
• Understand broad website usage patterns
• Meet legal, financial, security, and administrative obligations

Who Can See Personal Information?

VST limits access to personal information to people and service providers that need the information for legitimate VST operations.

Personal information may be shared with or processed by service providers in limited circumstances, including:

• Website hosting and infrastructure providers
• Website security and authentication providers
• Stripe for VST Teacher Membership payment processing
• Mailchimp for adult newsletter subscriptions, email communications, applicable forms, and contact management
• Zeffy for donations and applicable event registrations
• Other service providers needed to operate VST's website and membership services
• Professional advisors, such as legal, accounting, auditing, or compliance professionals
• Government authorities when required by applicable law or legal process

VST may also disclose information when reasonably necessary to protect the safety, rights, security, or integrity of VST, its users, or its website, or with the individual's consent.

VST may use or share aggregated or de-identified information that does not reasonably identify an individual.

Data Security

VST uses reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards intended to protect personal information and user accounts.

These safeguards may include:

• Restricted access to administrative systems
• Strong account authentication controls
• Two-factor authentication
• Website and account security monitoring
• Secure website connections
• Payment processing through specialized payment providers
• Security-related logging and access controls
• Regular software and website security maintenance

No website, email system, payment processor, or online service can guarantee absolute security.

If VST becomes aware of a security incident involving personal information, we will take appropriate steps consistent with applicable law and the circumstances of the incident.

Data Retention

VST retains personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected or as required for legitimate administrative, financial, security, or legal purposes.

Teacher Membership Accounts

Membership and account information may be retained while an account or membership is active and afterward when reasonably necessary for recordkeeping, payment history, fraud prevention, legal obligations, or account support.

Payment and Transaction Records

VST may retain transaction records needed for nonprofit accounting, membership administration, refunds, disputes, tax obligations, and other financial requirements.

Payment providers may retain information according to their own legal, financial, and regulatory obligations.

Newsletter Information

Newsletter and email subscription information may be retained while a person remains subscribed.

After a person unsubscribes, VST or Mailchimp may retain limited information needed to honor the unsubscribe request and prevent unwanted future marketing messages unless the person later subscribes again.

Security and Technical Information

Security, authentication, and technical information may be retained for a limited period when reasonably necessary to protect accounts, investigate security events, troubleshoot problems, operate the website, or meet legal requirements.

Aggregated or de-identified information may be retained for longer periods when it no longer reasonably identifies an individual.

Your Privacy Rights

Depending on where you live and the law that applies, you may have rights concerning your personal information, which may include the ability to:

• Request access to personal information VST maintains about you
• Request correction of inaccurate personal information
• Request deletion of certain personal information
• Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent
• Object to certain uses of personal information
• Opt out of newsletter or marketing communications

To submit a privacy request, contact: admin@virtualscienceteachers.com .

VST may need to verify your identity before completing certain privacy or account requests.

Some information may need to be retained when necessary for legal, financial, security, fraud-prevention, or other legitimate purposes.

Adults may unsubscribe from VST newsletter or marketing emails at any time using the unsubscribe link included in the email.

Third-Party Websites and Services

The VST website may contain links to, integrations with, or embedded content from third-party websites and services.

This Privacy Policy applies to Virtual Science Teachers. It does not control the independent privacy practices of third-party companies.

Third-party services VST may use include:

• Stripe, for Teacher Membership payment processing
• Paid Memberships Pro, for membership and account management
• Mailchimp, for adult newsletter subscriptions, email communications, and contact management
• Koko Analytics, for cookieless website analytics
• Zeffy, for donations and applicable event registrations
• Canva and Genially, for certain embedded educational content
• Website hosting, security, email-delivery, authentication, and infrastructure services necessary to operate VST

We encourage users to review the privacy policies of third-party services when appropriate.

Updates to This Privacy Policy

VST may update this Privacy Policy as our website, Teacher Membership program, educational resources, technology, service providers, or legal obligations change.

Updates will be posted on this page with a revised "Last updated" date.

If VST makes a material change that significantly affects how personal information associated with an account is handled, VST may provide additional notice when appropriate.