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Privacy Policy

Mercersburg Academy respects the privacy of every individual who visits this website. This Privacy Policy outlines the information that Mercersburg Academy may collect and how that information may be used. Mercersburg Academy is not responsible for the privacy practices of external websites linked from or referenced by mercersburg.edu. This policy applies solely to information collected by this website.

Personal Data
We collect information from you when you register on our website or fill out a form.

When ordering or registering on our website, as appropriate, you may be asked to enter your name, e-mail address, mailing address, phone number, or credit card information. You may, however, visit our website anonymously. If you do not want your personal data collected, do not submit it.

Any information we collect from you may be used in one of the following ways:

  • To contact you
  • To update your school record
  • To personalize your experience
  • To improve our website
  • To process transactions
  • To fulfill a request you have made
  • To send periodic emails*

The school will not sell, rent, or market personal data about you to third parties.

*If at any time you would like to unsubscribe from receiving future emails, we include detailed unsubscribe instructions at the bottom of each message.

Additional Information Collected Automatically
In some cases, this website may automatically (i.e., not via registration) collect information about you that is not personally identifiable. Examples of this type of information include the type of Internet browser you are using, the type of computer operating system you are using, the IP address of your computer, and the domain name of the website from which you linked to this website. This information is used solely to provide the school with overall statistics on website usage, and to evaluate generalized user demographics.

Cookies
When you view this website, some information may be stored on your computer. This information will be in the form of a “cookie” or similar file and will allow the website to tailor the experience to your interests and preferences. With most Internet browsers, cookies can be blocked or erased after visiting a website. Some aspects of this website may not function properly if your browser is set to block cookies.

Security
The school takes every precaution to protect users’ information. When users submit sensitive information via this website, it is encrypted and remains secure during all stages of transmission. The school complies with all state and federal statutes requiring safeguards on specific types of information and is compliant with the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation.

Nondiscrimination Policy
Mercersburg Academy abides by both the spirit and the letter of the law in all its employment and admission policies. The school does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, or national or ethnic origin.

Restrictions on Use of the Mercersburg Academy Alumni Directory
You are entitled to use the information provided in the Mercersburg Academy Alumni Directory for your own personal use. You may not use any data or information provided in the directory in connection with any business or commercial activity. The Academy will not be liable under any circumstances whatsoever for any direct, indirect, or consequential damages arising from the use of the directory. Misuse of the directory will result in termination of your access to and use of the directory.

Online Privacy Policy Only
This online privacy policy applies only to information collected through our website and not to information collected offline.

Changes to our Privacy Policy
If we decide to change our privacy policy, we will update the Privacy Policy modification date below.

Your Consent
By using our website, you consent to our online privacy policy.

Reviewed August 2019
 

 

GDPR

For individuals in the European economic area, you have the right in certain circumstances to (1) access your personal information; (2) correct or erase information; (3) restrict processing; and (4) object to communications, direct marketing, or profiling. To the extent applicable, the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation provides further information about your rights. You also have the right to lodge complaints with your national or regional data protection authority.

If you are inclined to exercise these rights, we request an opportunity to discuss with you any concerns you may have. To protect the personal information we hold, we may also request further information to verify your identity when exercising these rights. Upon a request to erase information, we will maintain a core set of personal data to ensure we do not contact you inadvertently in the future, as well as any information necessary for Mercersburg Academy archival purposes. We may also need to retain some financial information for legal purposes, including U.S. IRS compliance.

If you provide information directly to Mercersburg Academy from the European Economic Area (EEA), you consent to the transfer of your personal information outside of the EEA to the United States. You understand that the current laws and regulations of the United States may not provide the same level of protection as the data and privacy laws and regulations of the EEA.

You are under no statutory or contractual obligation to provide any personal data to us (other than personal data provided in connection with your status as a Mercersburg Academy student.)

Mercersburg Academy is committed to supporting the privacy of its students, alumni, and friends. We implement a variety of security measures to maintain the safety of your personal information. The following information explains how we handle and use the information we collect.

How do we protect your information?
We offer the use of a secure server. All supplied sensitive/credit information is transmitted via Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology and then encrypted into our database to be only accessed by those authorized with special access rights to our systems, and are required to keep the information confidential.

After a transaction, your private information (credit cards, social security numbers, financials, etc.) will not be stored on our servers.

We collect

  • While specific information may vary for particular individuals, we may collect, use, store, and transfer different kinds of personal information about you, which includes:
  • Basic biographic/contact information – home and business addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and social media contact information
  • Demographic information – names, gender, birth and death dates, photograph, and ethnicity (solely if you choose to provide ethnic information)
  • Student information from Mercersburg Academy records – classes, teachers, deans, affiliations and clubs, awards, activities, and sports participation
  • Employment information – company names, job titles, and industry information
  • Family information – spouse/partner’s name, children’s names and birth dates, and other familial relationships
  • Engagement information – event attendance, volunteer interests, organization affiliations, committee participation, awards and honors
  • Donor information – information regarding any pledge or donation which is made, including wealth assessment information and indicators of your interest in giving
  • Analytical electronic information – aggregated information related to web visitor activity and email marketing actions

How we collect
We collect information about our constituents from a variety of sources. A vast majority of the information we maintain is that which you have provided to us, either by updating your profile online, registering for an event, communicating with us, or making a donation.
We may also augment the information we collect about you. Typically this would be from Internet searches and/or third party sources, including but not limited to public records and social media websites (such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn).

How we use
We use your personal information for a number of legitimate purposes all in support of the school and its mission. Specifically, we use your personal information to:

  • Keep you updated with information about Mercersburg Academy and alumni/parent activities
  • Conduct surveys, including alumni satisfaction, donation preferences, and interests
  • Provide alumni services, such as the online portal
  • Fundraise for particular Mercersburg Academy initiatives or programs
  • Send you information about volunteer activities and invite you to Mercersburg Academy events in your area
  • Conduct philanthropic preference research in order to understand alumni and supporters
  • Perform administrative tasks for internal record keeping purposes
  • Create and analyze aggregated (fully anonymized) information about our students, parents, alumni, donors, and other supporters for statistical research purposes in support of our educational mission.

If you have concerns about any of these purposes or how we communicate with you, please email communications@mercersburg,edu.

When we share
To perform the functions listed above, it may be necessary to share your personal information with volunteers. All individuals performing functions for us are informed regarding appropriate handling of your personal information and they sign confidentiality agreements. We may also share your personal information with third parties performing services under contract with us, also confidentially.

How long we keep your personal information
We consider our relationship with students, parents, alumni, faculty, staff, donors, and other stakeholders to be lifelong. This means that we will maintain a record for you until such time as you tell us that you no longer wish us to keep in touch. You may also make changes to communication preferences by emailing communications@mercersburg.edu.

Do we disclose any information to outside parties?
We do not sell, trade, or otherwise transfer to outside parties your personally identifiable information. This does not include trusted third parties who assist us in operating our website, conducting our business, or servicing you, so long as those parties agree to keep this information confidential. We may also release your information when we believe release is appropriate to comply with the law, enforce our website policies, or protect ours or others’ rights, property, or safety. However, non-personally identifiable visitor information may be provided to other parties for marketing, advertising, or other uses.

Third party links
Occasionally, at our discretion, we may include or offer third party products or services on our website. These third party websites have separate and independent privacy policies. We therefore have no responsibility or liability for the content and activities of these linked websites. Nonetheless, we seek to protect the integrity of our website and welcome any feedback about these websites.

Reviewed August 2019