Last updated October 14, 2026
Privacy Policy
Fern Path helps parents and special education advocates understand IEPs, write letters to schools and prepare for meetings. Families trust us with records about their children, so we keep this policy short and specific. It explains what we collect, why, who else handles it, and the choices you have.
Fern Path is operated by Griffin App, Corp ("we", "us"). Questions or requests: [PRIVACY EMAIL].
The short version
- We use your information only to run Fern Path for you and your child's team.
- We never sell it, never show ads, and never share it for advertising.
- Only the people you invite to a child's team can see that child's records.
- When you use an AI feature, the relevant text goes to our AI provider to produce the result. Under our agreement with them, it isn't used to train their models.
- You can delete documents at any time, and ask us to delete everything.
What we collect
Your account
Your name, email address, password (stored only as a one-way hash), whether you're a parent or an advocate, and, for advocates, your organization.
Information about your child
What you or your child's team enter: name, date of birth, grade, school, district, state, a school contact for letters (name, title, email and address), eligibility categories, strengths, concerns, parents' names, meetings, goals, services, accommodations, a schedule of deadlines and a log of communication with the school.
Documents you upload
IEPs, evaluations, progress reports, 504 plans, letters and meeting notes or transcripts, and the text we extract from them so Fern Path can read them. These can include sensitive details such as disabilities, health and test results.
AI features
Our AI provider processes what Fern Path sends it under its business terms: it doesn't use the data to train its models, and it may keep it for up to 30 days to detect abuse before deleting it. Uploading a document doesn't send it to the AI provider by itself; only using one of Fern Path's AI features does. Writing a letter is one: when you create a letter or change its answers, its text and answers go to our AI provider to be written in your voice. When Fern Path reads meeting notes, it also sends your child's most recent IEP, so suggested letters can name the services and accommodations it lists.
Who can see your information
- Your child's team. Parents and advocates you invite can see and edit that child's records. Notes marked for advocates are visible only to advocates on the team. You can remove an advocate, and anyone can leave a team.
- Our service providers, listed below, only to run Fern Path for us.
- Our staff, only when needed to help you, keep the service secure, or meet a legal obligation.
- Others when required by law, such as a valid court order. Where we're allowed to, we'll tell you first.
- A new owner, if Fern Path is ever sold or merged, under this policy's promises. We'll tell you before that happens.
We don't send anything to your child's school on your behalf.
Service providers
| Provider | What they do | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Render | Runs the Fern Path application | United States (Oregon) |
| Neon | Database for accounts, records and extracted document text | United States (Oregon) |
| Amazon Web Services | Stores uploaded files, encrypted | United States (Oregon) |
| OpenAI | AI model for the features above | United States |
If you import from Google Drive, Fern Path asks for access only to the file you pick, downloads it once, and doesn't keep the access Google grants.
Children
Fern Path is for parents, guardians and the advocates who work with them. It isn't meant for children to use, and children shouldn't create accounts. Information about a child comes from their parent or guardian, or from an advocate working with the family. Advocates must have the family's permission before adding a child's records.
Schools and FERPA
Fern Path isn't part of, or working for, any school or district. The records you upload are your own copies. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) governs how schools handle education records; this policy governs how Fern Path handles what you share with us.
Security
- All connections to Fern Path are encrypted (HTTPS).
- Uploaded files are stored privately and encrypted, and are never public.
- Every record is checked against the child's team before it's shown.
No service can promise perfect security. If a breach affects your information, we'll tell you as the law requires.
Keeping and deleting your information
- We keep your information while your account is open.
- You can delete documents, letters and other records yourself at any time.
- Deleting uploaded meeting notes also deletes what Fern Path read from them. You can delete a reading of pasted notes on its own.
- To delete your account, email [PRIVACY EMAIL] from your account's address. Within 30 days we delete your account and any child records that only you can access. A child shared with other team members stays with them; you're removed from it.
- Copies in backups and logs are removed as they cycle out, and we don't use them for anything else in the meantime.
Your choices and rights
Wherever you live, you can ask us to tell you what we hold about you or your child, give you a copy, correct it, or delete it. Email [PRIVACY EMAIL]. We'll confirm your identity, usually by replying to your account's email address, and answer within 30 days.
California residents have these rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act. We don't sell or share personal information as that law defines those terms, and we won't treat you differently for using your rights.
Changes to this policy
If we change this policy, we'll update the date at the top. For important changes, we'll tell you by email or in Fern Path before they take effect.
Contact
Griffin App, Corp
[PRIVACY EMAIL]