Privacy & data handling

Last updated: July 2026 · Plain-language summary. Formal policy available to piloting districts on request.

Sidera builds two products for schools — Sidera Tutor (an AI tutor that coaches) and Sidera Pass (a digital hall pass). They handle data differently, so we describe each honestly below rather than making one blanket claim.

Sidera Pass — data stays in your district

Sidera Pass runs entirely inside your district’s own Google Workspace. This is the strong claim, and it is architecturally true:

Every sign-out record is written to a Google Sheet in your district’s own Google account — not to any Sidera server.
There is no third-party data processor and no external database. Sidera does not receive, store, or transmit your students’ pass records.
The app runs under a staff owner’s account; students only ever see the sign-out screen, never the underlying records.
Access is limited to people signed in with your district’s own Google accounts.
Only the data needed to run a hall pass is kept — student ID, name, grade level, and pass times. No SSNs, addresses, health information, or grades.

Sidera Tutor — how conversations are handled

The Tutor generates its coaching by sending each turn of the conversation to a third-party AI provider (currently Anthropic). We are specific about what that does and does not include:

No student names or ID numbers are attached to what is sent to the AI provider.
The conversation content itself (what the student types, and any image they attach to an assignment) is sent to the AI provider in order to generate a response — that is how the tutoring works.
The Tutor is locked to the teacher’s subject and bounded by the teacher. It coaches; it never controls a student’s screen.
Sidera does not sell data, does not use student conversations for advertising, and applies no third-party ad or tracking pixels.

On the roadmap — stated plainly

We have not yet completed a formal third-party security audit or published independent evidence of learning outcomes. We would rather say so than imply certifications we don’t hold. Piloting districts get our current data-handling detail in writing, and we’ll publish audits and evidence here as they’re completed.

Data retention

Pass records live in your district’s Google account and follow your district’s retention policy — you can clear or archive them at any time. Sidera keeps no separate copy.

Contact

Questions about data handling, or want the formal policy for procurement? Email hello@sidera.education.