Privacy policy

High Bluff Academy (“HBA,” “we,” “us”) is committed to protecting the privacy of students, families, alumni, and visitors to our website. This policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and the choices you have.

By using highbluffacademy.com or sharing information with us through forms, email, or in person, you agree to the practices described here.

We collect information in three ways:

• Information you provide. You share information with us when you complete a contact form, request a tour, apply for admission, buy from our store, or correspond with us. This may include your name, email, phone number, your student’s information, and any other details you choose to include.
• Information collected automatically. Our website records standard technical data such as IP address, browser type, pages visited, and referring URLs. This is used for site performance and security.
• Information from third-party services. Tools like spam-prevention services, cloud-hosted storage providers, and Microsoft 365 may process the information you submit through the site. Their handling of your data is governed by their own privacy policies and service terms.

We use the information we collect to operate the school and respond to inquiries. For example, we use it to schedule tours, process applications, deliver instruction, fill store orders, communicate with families, and improve our programs and website. We do not sell personal information.

We share information only with people and services that need it to do their jobs: faculty and staff, our enrollment and learning platforms, payment processors, accreditors, and government agencies when required by law. We also share information with people you choose, such as the person you name to pick up a store order. We work with two partners, Pacific Crest Institute and Contemplanda Direct. When a student also applies to or studies with one of them, we share what is needed so that the student has only one account. For a student who studies with both, we may also share the family’s contact details so they stay current. If you sign up for Pacific Crest Institute’s Art Institute on our application form, we send Pacific Crest Institute your application details for that program. We do not share student information with third parties for marketing purposes.

We use a small number of cookies and analytics tools to understand how the website is used and to keep it secure. You can control cookies through your browser settings; some features may not work as expected if cookies are disabled.

Some pages load tools from other companies. Stripe runs on our application and payment pages, Cloudflare on pages with forms, Google Maps on our contact page, and YouTube on our about page and in any online course lesson that plays a YouTube video. These companies may collect information about your browser and device over time and across other websites. Some browsers send a “Do Not Track” signal. Our website does not change anything when it receives one.

Ordering opens soon. This is how it will work.

When you buy from the HBA store, we collect what we need to fill your order. You pick up your order at the HBA office.

• Who is buying. If you are signed in, we use your HBA account. If you enter an HBA school email address, you sign in with Microsoft 365. For any other address, we email a one-time link to confirm the address is yours before you pay. If the address is already on file with us, the email lets you choose who is buying. If you buy in person at the office, staff can enter your email address and name to send your receipt.
• Buyer accounts. If we do not know the address, or you choose “None of these is me” in that email, we create a buyer account for it. A buyer account holds the email address, a name, and a note of how and when we confirmed the address. It holds a phone number only if you give one to the office. It has no password and cannot be used to sign in; it keeps your orders together. If the same address later belongs to your HBA account, your earlier orders join that account the next time you confirm the address at checkout and choose your own name. This happens only when the address belongs to one person in our records. If more than one person uses the address, the office can link the orders for you instead. Orders placed in person at the office are linked only by the office. We never link orders just because an email address matches.
• Order details. We keep the items you buy, any size or colour you type in, and what you paid, including tax and any card fee. We also keep how you paid, how we confirmed who you are, and any note you add. If someone else will collect your order, we keep their name and any email address you give for them. At pickup, we record who collected the order and which staff member recorded it.
• Payments. Stripe processes store payments. Card and bank details you enter on our payment page go directly to Stripe and never reach HBA’s systems.
• Emails. We email you the payment link, your receipt, and notices about cancellations, refunds, and pickup. A pickup contact receives only the pickup notices, which include no payment details.
• Cookies. The store uses two cookies. One keeps your cart for 7 days after your last change, and the other keeps your checkout open for up to 60 minutes.
• Where orders appear. If you have an HBA parent or student account, your orders appear in your portal. If a student buys while signed in, or chooses their own name in our email, a parent who can see that student’s billing can see the order too. The HBA office can see all store orders.
• Keeping and correcting orders. Store orders, payments, and refunds are financial records, so we keep them. If something on an order is wrong, contact the office. We can change an option, link or unlink a buyer account, exchange an item, or cancel or refund the order. The order’s history stays on record.

Books from Floating Island Productions are sold by Pacific Crest Institute on its website, and its privacy policy covers those orders.

Educational records are protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and California state law. Parents and eligible students have the right to inspect, request corrections to, and consent to the disclosure of personally identifiable information in those records, subject to the exceptions FERPA allows.

You can ask us what information we have about you, request corrections, or ask us to delete information that is no longer needed. Store orders, payments, and refunds are financial records, so we keep them. If one is wrong, we correct it (see “Store purchases” above). You can also unsubscribe from our marketing emails at any time. Contact the office to make a request.

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect information. No system is perfectly secure, so we encourage families to share sensitive information through trusted channels rather than over open email.

Our website is intended for parents, students, and prospective families. We do not knowingly collect information from children under 13 outside the context of school-related activities, where such collection is governed by parental consent and FERPA.

We may update this policy from time to time. The effective date at the top reflects the most recent revision. Material changes will be communicated to families when appropriate.