Privacy Policy
1. Introduction
Lakeside Charter Academy (“Lakeside,” “LCA,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is a tuition-free public charter school serving students in grades K–8 in Cornelius, North Carolina. We are committed to protecting the privacy of the families, students, staff, and visitors who interact with us, including through our website at lakesidecharteracademy.com (the “Site”).
This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect through our Site and digital marketing activities, how we use it, who we share it with, and the choices available to you. It applies to information collected online. It does not govern the confidential student education records we maintain as a public school, which are protected separately under federal and state law as described in Section 8.
2. Information We Collect
2.1 Information You Provide Directly
When you fill out a form on our Site — such as an information request, tour request, enrollment interest, or contact form — you may voluntarily provide:
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Parent or guardian name and contact details (email address, phone number, mailing address)
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Your child’s name, grade level, or age, where you choose to provide it
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Any additional information you include in a message or comment field
We ask that parents and guardians, not children, complete forms on our Site.
2.2 Information Collected Automatically
When you visit our Site, certain information is collected automatically through cookies, pixels, tags, and similar technologies, including:
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Device and browser type, operating system, and screen settings
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IP address and general geographic location (such as city or region)
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Pages viewed, links clicked, time spent on pages, and referring website
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Actions taken on the Site, such as submitting a form or clicking a “Request a Tour” button
3. Analytics and Advertising Technologies
We use third-party analytics and advertising tools to understand how families find and use our Site and to reach prospective families with information about Lakeside. These tools may set cookies or use pixels and similar technologies to collect the automatic information described above.
3.1 Google Analytics
We use Google Analytics to understand Site traffic and how visitors navigate our pages. Google Analytics collects information such as pages visited, session duration, and general location, and uses it to generate aggregated reports about Site usage. This information helps us improve our Site and our outreach to families. You can learn about Google’s practices and opt out of Google Analytics tracking through Google’s Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
3.2 Google Ads
We use Google Ads to promote Lakeside in search results and across Google’s advertising network. Google Ads uses conversion tracking and remarketing technologies to measure the effectiveness of our ads and, in some cases, to show our ads to people who have previously visited our Site. This may involve cookies that recognize your browser across websites.
3.3 Meta (Facebook and Instagram) Advertising
We advertise on Meta platforms, including Facebook and Instagram. We use the Meta Pixel, a piece of code on our Site that allows us to measure the results of our ads, understand actions visitors take, and show relevant ads to prospective families. We may also use Meta’s audience tools, which allow us to reach people who have visited our Site or who share characteristics with our current community. Where we use contact information to build advertising audiences, that information is provided to Meta in a hashed (encoded) form.
3.4 Cookies and Your Choices
Cookies are small files stored on your device. Most web browsers allow you to refuse or delete cookies through your browser settings. If you disable cookies, some parts of our Site may not function as intended. You may also control interest-based advertising through the following industry resources:
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Digital Advertising Alliance: optout.aboutads.info
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Network Advertising Initiative: optout.networkadvertising.org
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Your Online Choices (EU): youronlinechoices.eu
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4. How We Use Information
We use the information we collect to:
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Respond to inquiries, tour requests, and enrollment questions
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Provide information about Lakeside’s programs, events, and enrollment periods
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Operate, maintain, and improve our Site
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Measure and improve the performance of our advertising and outreach
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Reach prospective families who may be interested in our school
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Comply with legal obligations and protect the rights and safety of our community
We do not sell information collected through our Site.
5. How We Share Information
We share information only as needed to operate our school and outreach, including with:
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Service providers who host our Site, manage forms, deliver email, or provide analytics and advertising services (such as our website platform, Google, and Meta)
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Marketing partners who assist us in planning and running our advertising campaigns, under confidentiality obligations
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Government agencies or authorities where required by law, or in response to lawful requests
We require our service providers and partners to handle information consistently with this Policy and applicable law.
6. Children’s Privacy
Our Site and digital advertising are directed to parents, guardians, and prospective families — not to children. We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children under the age of 13 through our Site’s marketing forms or advertising technologies.
The federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) governs the online collection of personal information from children under 13. Our marketing Site is designed so that account creation, form submission, and similar actions are performed by adults. If you believe a child has provided us personal information through our Site without a parent’s involvement, please contact us at the address in Section 12 and we will delete it.
Personal information about enrolled students collected in the course of providing education — as distinct from marketing — is handled under FERPA and state law as described in Section 8, not through the advertising technologies described above.
7. Student Education Records (FERPA and State Law)
As a charter school, Lakeside maintains student education records that are protected by the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and applicable North Carolina student data privacy laws. These records — which may include grades, attendance, disciplinary information, and similar data — are kept confidential and are not collected through, shared with, or used by the website analytics or advertising tools described in this Policy.
FERPA gives parents and eligible students certain rights with respect to education records, including the right to inspect and review records and to request corrections. For information about student records, directory information, and your rights under FERPA, please refer to our Student/Parent Handbook or contact the front office directly.
8. Data Security
We take reasonable administrative, technical, and physical measures to protect the information we collect against loss, misuse, and unauthorized access. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
9. Data Retention
We retain information collected through our Site for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Policy, to respond to your inquiries, to comply with our legal obligations, and to support enrollment and outreach. When information is no longer needed, we take reasonable steps to delete or de-identify it.
10. Your Choices and Rights
You may:
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Request that we correct or delete the contact information you have provided through our Site
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Opt out of receiving marketing communications from us by following the unsubscribe instructions in our emails or by contacting us
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Control cookies and interest-based advertising as described in Section 3.4
To make a request regarding your information, please contact us using the details in Section 12.
11. Third-Party Links
Our Site may link to third-party websites and services, such as our lunch program provider or social media pages. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those third parties, and we encourage you to review their privacy policies.
12. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the “Last Updated” date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this Policy periodically.
13. Contact Us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how your information is handled, please contact:
Lakeside Charter Academy
17609 Old Statesville Rd, Cornelius, NC 28031
Phone: (704) 896-9500