Jefferson Church ("we," "us," or "our") operates the Buddies Network application to support families and volunteers in our special needs ministry. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, why we collect it, how we protect it, and your rights regarding that information.

By creating an account or using Buddies Network, you agree to the practices described in this policy. This app is intended for use by parents and guardians (age 18+). Children do not create accounts directly.

1. Who We Are

Jefferson Church
Special Needs Ministry — Buddies Network Program
21 Cobb St, Jefferson, GA 30549
Contact: [email protected]
Website: jefferson.church/buddies

2. Information We Collect

A. Parent / Guardian Account Information

When you register, we collect:

• Your full name
• Your email address
• A password (stored securely through Firebase Authentication — we never see your password in plain text)

B. Children's Information

You may provide the following information about each child enrolled in Buddies Network:

• Child's first name
• Age and grade
• Diagnosis or special need (e.g., autism, Down syndrome)
• Medical conditions and allergies
• Triggers to avoid
• Calming strategies
• Communication style and needs
• Behavioral notes
• Medical emergency information
• General notes you choose to share with the team

C. Messages

The in-app messaging feature stores the text of messages you send to and receive from the Buddies Network admin team. These messages are stored in our database so the conversation history is available to both you and the ministry staff.

D. Ministry Records (Collected by Staff)

Ministry staff and volunteers may record the following on your child's behalf:

• Attendance records — whether your child was present at a session
• Session notes — brief notes written by your child's assigned buddy after each session
• Volunteer pairing — which volunteer is assigned to your child

E. Device & Notification Data

If you enable push notifications, we store a device push token — a unique identifier for your device provided by Apple (APNs) or Google (FCM) through OneSignal. This token is used only to deliver notifications to your device and is associated with your account. It contains no personal information itself.

F. What We Do NOT Collect

• We do not collect location data
• We do not access your camera, microphone, or photos
• We do not collect payment information
• We do not use advertising trackers or analytics SDKs
• We do not collect your contacts
• We do not track you across other apps or websites

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your information only for the purposes listed above. We do not analyze, profile, or use your information for any other purpose.

4. Who Can See Your Information

Within Jefferson Church

• Ministry administrators have access to all family and children's profiles to coordinate the program.
• Volunteers (Buddies Network) can see the profile of the child they are paired with — including the needs information — so they can serve that child well. Volunteers cannot see other families' data or send messages to families.
• No other church staff have access to the app data.

Outside Jefferson Church

We do not sell, rent, or trade your information. The only outside parties who handle your data are the technology services that power the app:

• Google Firebase (firebase.google.com) — stores all app data in Firestore and handles authentication. Google processes this data under their Firebase Privacy Policy and our data processing agreement.
• OneSignal (onesignal.com) — delivers push notifications to your device. OneSignal receives only your device push token and a user identifier. See OneSignal's Privacy Policy.
• Fly.io (fly.io) — hosts our notification server. No personal data is stored on Fly.io servers; it only processes notification requests in transit.

These services are contractually bound to use your data only to provide their services to us.

5. Children's Privacy (COPPA)

Buddies Network stores information about children who participate in our program, but children do not create accounts or directly use the app. All accounts are created and operated by parents or legal guardians (age 18+).

By registering a child in Buddies Network, you as the parent or guardian:

• Confirm you have the authority to share that child's information with Jefferson Church
• Consent to the collection and use of that child's information as described in this policy
• Understand that the information will be accessible to assigned volunteers and ministry staff

We do not knowingly allow anyone under 18 to create an account. If you believe a minor has registered an account without parental consent, please contact us at [email protected] and we will promptly remove it.

6. Data Security

We take the security of your information — especially children's medical data — seriously:

• All data is transmitted over HTTPS/TLS encryption
• Firestore security rules ensure families can only read and write their own data
• Passwords are never stored in plain text; Firebase Authentication handles secure credential storage
• Access to the admin dashboard requires authentication and is limited to authorized ministry staff
• Push notification tokens are stored server-side and are not accessible to other app users

No system is perfectly secure. If you have reason to believe your account has been compromised, contact us immediately at [email protected].

7. Data Retention

We retain your information for as long as your family participates in the Buddies Network program. Specifically:

• Account and profile data — kept until you request deletion or your family leaves the program
• Messages — kept as long as your account is active so the conversation history is available to both parties
• Attendance records and session notes — kept for program continuity; typically reviewed annually and archived
• Push tokens — automatically removed if your device uninstalls the app or the token becomes invalid

8. Your Rights and Choices

You have the right to:

• Access — request a copy of the data we hold about your family
• Correction — update your profile or your children's information at any time through the app
• Deletion — request that we delete your account and all associated data. Contact us at [email protected] and we will complete the deletion within 30 days.
• Opt out of push notifications — you can disable notifications at any time in your device Settings → Notifications → Buddies Network. This does not affect your ability to use the app.
• Withdraw consent — you may withdraw consent for us to hold your family's data at any time by requesting deletion (see above). Note that this will end your family's participation in the app.

California residents may have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). Please contact us to exercise any of these rights.

9. Push Notifications

If you allow notifications, we will send you:

• Messages from the Buddies Network admin team
• Ministry announcements and service reminders
• Important updates about your child's session or program changes

We will not send promotional, advertising, or third-party notifications. You can opt out at any time in your device's notification settings.

10. Links to Other Sites

The app may contain links to external websites (for example, lesson resources or event information). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before submitting any personal information.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page. For significant changes, we will notify you through the app or by email. Your continued use of Buddies Network after a change is posted means you accept the updated policy.

12. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, want to exercise your data rights, or need to report a concern, please contact us:

We aim to respond to all privacy inquiries within 5 business days.