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Privacy

Privacy & compliance overview

Grouper is committed to keeping student data private and secure.

  • Student data is handled in compliance with COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act) and FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act).

  • Student data is used solely for educational purposes.

  • Student data is never used for targeted advertising.

  • Some features use generative AI. See the Artificial intelligence section below.

Privacy Policy · Terms of Service

District data privacy agreements (DPA)

Grouper signs DPAs and works with school and district teams to complete review processes.

Track record

Grouper has completed DPAs with many districts, including large districts such as New York City, Seattle, and Northside (Texas).

How to start district approval

  1. Teacher or administrator typically asks technology office to initiate approval.

  2. District sends DPA paperwork to [email protected].

  3. Grouper works with district staff to complete required steps.

Important:

  • Grouper has signed Access 4 Learning DPAs in many states.

  • District administrators in those states may wish to join the existing DPA by signing Exhibit E.

  • Administrators can log in to their district account at a4l.org to learn more.

While approval is pending

If district sync or student data usage is blocked pending approval, teachers may wish to continue using Grouper by using manual classes with anonymized student identifiers where appropriate.

Important:

  • Anonymizing display names does not necessarily obscure student data from Grouper.

Artificial intelligence

Some Grouper features use generative AI. The rest of the product, including how groups and seating charts are generated, uses no AI at all.

Where AI is used:

  • AI-assisted import (PRO): when you upload a roster file, AI reads it to find students, columns, and attribute values. The contents of the file you upload, which may include student names, are sent to an AI provider.

  • Attribute ordering: when you enter values for an attribute, AI suggests the attribute's type and the order of its values. The attribute's name and its list of values are sent; your student list is not.

  • Group name suggestions: AI fills in blank group names. Only the group names you have already typed are sent, and no student data is sent.

Our AI providers are OpenAI, Google, Mistral AI, and Groq. They process this data only to return a result to Grouper, and they do not use it to train their models. Student records are never used to train any AI model.

Important:

  • AI-assisted import produces a proposal you review. Nothing is added to your class until you confirm it.

  • AI can misread a file, especially a PDF or a screenshot. Check names, columns, and values before confirming an import.

  • Group and seating assignments are produced by a standard algorithm, not by AI, and you can edit them at any time.

Using Grouper without AI

  • Add students manually, or sync a roster from Google Classroom, Clever, Schoology, or ClassLink, instead of importing a file. No roster data is sent to an AI provider.

  • Type your own group names. A name you enter is never replaced by a suggestion.

  • Reorder an attribute's values by hand. This turns off AI ordering for that attribute.

Cookies and consent management

Grouper uses necessary cookies for core site functionality and may use analytics cookies to improve the product experience.

Key points:

  • In regions covered by GDPR-style consent requirements, you may see a cookie consent prompt.

  • The prompt allows you to Accept or Decline analytics cookies.

  • Necessary cookies are not affected by declining analytics cookies.

  • Analytics cookies can be enabled or disabled on the Account page.

Cookie details:

Grouper remembers your cookie choice with your account. To change it, use the Analytics cookies switch on the Account page. If you aren't signed in, clear site data for grouper.school in your browser and reload the site to see the prompt again.

Anonymizing student data (workarounds)

If a teacher wants to avoid uploading full student names, if district sync is blocked pending approval, or if the teacher or staff member wants to demonstrate Grouper without sharing student names, these workarounds can help keep student identities more anonymous.

Option A: Manual classes with initials (most secure)

  • Create a class manually (without roster sync).

  • Add students using anonymized identifiers, such as initials, first name only, or partial names.

  • Example: Mar M. instead of Maria Martinez.

Option B: Change display names

  • If a roster is already imported, click a student's name to open their student card.

  • Edit the student's Display Name.

  • Important: This changes what appears on screen (for example, Live mode/smartboard view), but does not change the original source-roster association in the backend.

Option C: Anonymize with symbols

  • Educators sometimes wish to demonstrate Grouper to peers with live data while protecting student data privacy.

  • Examples: conferences, professional development sessions.

To temporarily anonymize student names:

  1. Go to the Account page

  2. Go to the Student display section

  3. Change the Name setting to Anonymized

Account and data deletion

Deleting your account permanently removes your account access and any non-anonymized data that Grouper is not required to retain for compliance purposes. Student roster data you entered or imported is deleted as part of this process.

For how to delete your account, see the Account management article. For help with data deletion, contact [email protected].

Frequently asked questions

Q: Does Grouper sell student data or use it for ads? A: No. Student data is used solely for educational purposes and is never used for targeted advertising. Grouper handles student data in compliance with FERPA and COPPA.

Q: Does Grouper use AI, and does it train AI models on student data? A: Some features use generative AI, including AI-assisted import. Our AI providers receive only what a feature needs and do not use it to train their models, and student records are never used to train any AI model. See the Artificial intelligence section above.

Q: Can I use Grouper without AI? A: Yes. Add students manually or sync a roster instead of importing a file, and type your own group names. Groups and seating charts are generated by a standard algorithm, not by AI.

Q: My district blocked Grouper because we do not have a DPA yet. What can I do? A: Ask your district administrator to send Grouper their DPA for signature at [email protected]. While approval is pending, you can use manual classes and anonymized student names (initials or first names).

Q: I gave Grouper access to Google Classroom and want to remove access and data. What should I do? A: Revoke access at myaccount.google.com/connections. To delete your Grouper account and associated data, see the Account management article. If you need help, email [email protected].

Q: How do I change my cookie consent choice later? A: If you're signed in, use the Analytics cookies switch on the Account page. If you aren't, clear site data for grouper.school in your browser settings and reload the site, then choose Accept or Decline when prompted. You can also review details at grouper.school/privacy#cookies-and-similar-technologies.

"Our district blocked access because data privacy agreement is not finished"

Have district staff send DPA paperwork to [email protected]. Teachers can continue with anonymized manual classes while approval is in progress.

"Who should contact Grouper for DPA completion?"

District administrators or district technology/privacy staff should contact [email protected].

Contact & privacy support

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