Helokn is committed to protecting the privacy of all users, with special attention to the rights of students under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), 20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99.
FERPA Notice to Students
Helokn acts as a School Official with a legitimate educational interest in accessing student education records, as defined under FERPA (34 CFR § 99.31(a)(1)). Student education records processed through Helokn are used exclusively to provide grading, feedback, and educational services on behalf of your institution.
Under FERPA, students have the following rights with respect to their education records:
The right to inspect and review your education records.
The right to request an amendment if you believe the records are inaccurate or misleading.
The right to provide written consent before Helokn discloses personally identifiable information (PII) from your records to third parties, except as authorized by FERPA.
The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning failures to comply with FERPA requirements.
Information We Collect
We collect the following categories of information to operate the Helokn platform:
Account Information: Name, email address, username, and organization affiliation.
Assignment Submissions (FERPA-protected education records): Submission content including text responses, uploaded images, audio recordings, and video files. These are education records under FERPA and are protected accordingly.
Grades & Rubric Feedback (FERPA-protected): AI-generated grades, rubric-based scores, written grading feedback, confidence levels, and grade dispute records created under FERPA § 99.20.
AI Tutor Drafts & LISA Interactions (FERPA-protected): Draft submissions, in-progress learner work shared with the LISA AI tutor, and the full transcript of AI tutoring sessions are treated as education records.
Grading Audit Trail (FERPA-protected): Records of each AI grading agent's inputs and outputs for every submission, including semantic maps, range analysis, final grader reasoning, and verification results.
External LMS Identifiers (FERPA-protected when containing PII): Institution-assigned external learner IDs (externalLearnerId) submitted via the Grading API may constitute personally identifiable information (PII) under FERPA. These are handled with the same protections as other education records.
Certification Records (FERPA-protected): Course completions and digital certificates awarded upon module completion.
Consent Records: Records of your consent decisions related to data processing and disclosures.
Usage Data: Log-in activity, feature usage, and session metadata to improve service reliability and security.
Technical Data: IP address, browser type, and device information for security and fraud prevention.
How We Use Your Information
We use collected information solely to provide and improve the Helokn educational platform. Specifically:
Processing multi-modal submissions through our AI-assisted grading pipeline.
Generating feedback and maintaining grade records on behalf of your institution.
Issuing digital Trust Seals for verified content authenticity.
Maintaining audit logs for compliance with FERPA, HIPAA (where applicable), and institutional requirements.
Communicating with you about your account or changes to this policy.
We do not sell student education records or personally identifiable information to third parties. We do not use education records for advertising or marketing purposes.
Disclosures & Third-Party Access
Helokn may disclose education records without prior written consent only under the following FERPA-permitted circumstances:
To school officials at your institution with a legitimate educational interest (34 CFR § 99.31(a)(1)).
In connection with a health or safety emergency (34 CFR § 99.31(a)(10)).
To comply with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena (34 CFR § 99.31(a)(9)).
To authorized representatives of the U.S. Comptroller General, the U.S. Attorney General, or state and local educational authorities for audit or evaluation purposes (34 CFR § 99.35).
Data Security & Encryption
Helokn employs industry-standard and FERPA-appropriate safeguards to protect student education records:
AES-256-GCM encryption for sensitive audit log data at rest.
TLS encryption for all data in transit.
File-type validation (magic number verification) for all uploaded submissions.
Role-based access control (RBAC) ensuring learners can only access their own records.
Hash-linked tamper-proof audit trails for all grading and administrative actions.
TOTP-based multi-factor authentication available for all accounts.
Data Retention
Education records are retained for the period required by your institution or applicable law, and no longer than necessary for the stated educational purpose.
You may request deletion of your records at any time. Data deletion requests submitted through the platform are processed within 30 days in accordance with FERPA § 99.10(e) and applicable state law.
Student Rights & Self-Service
Students may exercise the following rights directly within the Helokn platform:
Inspect Records: View all your submissions, grades, and feedback in your Educational Records page.
Export Records (§ 99.10): Download a JSON export of all your educational records at any time from your Profile page.
Request Deletion: Submit a data deletion request from your Profile page. Requests are processed within 30 days.
Dispute a Grade: Submit grade change feedback from your Educational Records page.
Manage Consent: Review and manage your data consent preferences from your Profile page.
GDPR & International Privacy
For users in the European Economic Area (EEA), Helokn processes personal data under the following lawful bases under GDPR Article 6: Contract, Legitimate Interest, and Legal Obligation.
EEA users have the right to access, rectify, erase, restrict, or port their personal data, and to object to processing. To exercise these rights, contact privacy@helokn.com.
Contact & FERPA Complaints
For questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or your FERPA rights, contact the Helokn Privacy Office at privacy@helokn.com. Students also have the right to file a complaint with the Family Policy Compliance Office (FPCO) at the U.S. Department of Education: Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20202-8520.