The Blake School Privacy Policy

Table of Contents

To jump to a particular section, click on the relevant link. Otherwise, scroll down to read the entire Policy.

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1.     General Information and Scope of This Policy

The Blake School ("Blake," "we," "us," and "our") owns and operates this website. This Online Privacy Policy (this "Policy") describes our commitment to privacy and reflects the importance we place on earning and keeping your trust. This Policy sets out how we collect, store, use, and share personal information.

This Policy applies to the information we collect from or about individuals through the publicly available portions of this website as well as information collected from Blake’s Online Community, also referred to as the Veracross Portals (together the "Sites”). It does not apply to information we collect offline, such as over the phone or in person. This Policy also contains additional information which applies to European users only. “European users” are individual users based in the European Economic Area, the UK, and Switzerland.

Some of the information Blake collects through the Sites may be "personal information"—information that identifies you (or someone else, such as your student) personally, alone or in combination with other information available to us.

Blake has provided this Policy so that you will know what information Blake collects, how Blake uses this information, the types of third parties with whom Blake may share this information, and some of the choices that are available to you.

This Policy may be supplemented or amended from time to time by additional privacy notices ("Privacy Notices"), provided at the time we collect your information. For example, certain pages of the Sites may contain Privacy Notices providing more details about the information we collect on those particular pages, why we need that information, and choices you may have about the ways we use that information.

Additional information for European users

The Sites are provided by The Blake School. We understand certain alumni located in Europe may access and use the Sites (for example to register for school events such as class reunions and virtual seminars, to process gifts/donations to the school and/or to access the contact information of other Blake alumni). We may also send community updates to such Europe-based alumni. Accordingly, European data protection laws may apply to us when we process your personal information.

The Blake School, an academic organization registered in the State of Minnesota, USA, is the data controller for the purposes of the EU General Data Protection Regulation and the UK General Data Protection Regulation (together, the “GDPR”) and any relevant local legislation. We can be contacted using the contact details below (Contact Us).

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2.     Your Consent

By using the Sites, you are consenting to the collection, use, disclosure, and transfer of the information you provide as described in this Policy (and any Privacy Notices that apply to you). If you do not consent to the collection, use, disclosure and transfer of information as described in this Policy (and any Privacy Notices that apply to you), you may not use the Sites. If you have questions about this Policy, or any Privacy Notice, please contact us using the information provided below.

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3.     Our Terms of Use

This Policy is part of the Terms of Use that govern your use of this Site. A link to our Terms of Use is provided at the bottom of each page of this Site.

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4.     Your Choices

In General. We respect your right to make choices about the ways we collect, use, and disclose the information you provide on or through our Sites. This Policy describes some of your choices, such as your choice to opt out of receiving "cookies." We may ask you to indicate your choices at the time and on the page where you provide information.

Do Not Track Mechanisms. Your browser may deliver a "Do-Not-Track ('DNT') signal" to our Sites. Because of the changing state of technology and indecision within the industry regarding the meaning of DNT signals, we currently do not make any guarantee that we will honor DNT signals.

Previously Expressed Preferences. You may change previously expressed preferences regarding how we use information you provide on or through our Sites. You may be able to change preferences through your account. Otherwise, please contact us using the information provided below. You may opt out of promotional emails by clicking the unsubscribe link in the footer of any promotional email we send you.

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5.     Information We Collect

We collect, use and store different kinds of personal information about you, which we have summarized below.

Information You Manually Provide. Blake collects the information you manually provide (using your keyboard, mouse, or touchpad) when you use the Sites. For example, we collect the information you provide when you seek financial assistance, sign up for an alumni event, send us a question, or otherwise interact with the Sites. Some of the information you manually provide may be personal information. This includes your name and contact information (or the name and contact information of your student).

Information from your browser or device. Blake collects information that is sent to us automatically by your web browser or mobile device. This information typically includes your IP address, the name of your operating system, the name and version of your browser, the date and time of your visit, and the pages you visit. The information we receive may depend on your browser or device settings. The information we receive from your web browser and device is not, in and of itself, personally identifiable. Generally, we use this information in the aggregate to help us improve the Sites and make it more compatible with the technology used by our visitors. However, we may combine it with other information in an attempt to identify you or we may combine it with information that does identify you. We may also review our server logs for security purposes—for example, to detect intrusions into our network—and we might share our server logs, which contain visitors' IP addresses, with the appropriate investigative authorities who could use that information to trace and identify you.

We also collect, use and share aggregated or anonymized data such as statistical or demographic data for any purpose. Aggregated or anonymized data could be derived from your personal information but is not considered personal information in law as this data will not directly or indirectly reveal your identity. If we combine or connect aggregated data with your personal information so that it can directly or indirectly identify you, we treat the combined data as personal information which will be used in accordance with this Policy.

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6.     How We Collect Information

We collect personal information:

(a) directly from you (for example when you set up an account on the Sites); and
(b) through automated technologies and interactions (for example, as you interact with and use the Sites).

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7.     Cookies and Tracking Technologies

What Do We Mean by Cookies?

A cookie is a small text file which is placed onto your device (e.g. computer, smartphone or other electronic device) when you use the Sites. We use cookies on our Sites. These help us recognize you, speed up searches, estimate audience size and usage patterns, provide you with a good experience when you browse the Sites by making certain features more convenient to use and also allow us to improve our Sites. Some of this data will be aggregated or statistical, which means that we will not be able to identify you individually. Certain pages on our Sites may also contain web beacons (also known as internet tags, pixel tags, or clear GIFs). We use web beacons to help display content to visitors and to generate statistics about web traffic and trends. Throughout this Policy, we refer to cookies, web beacons, and similar technologies collectively as “cookies.” You can find more information about cookies at www.allaboutcookies.org.

What Types of Cookie Do We Use?

Cookies that are used on websites are commonly divided into four general categories:

  • Strictly Necessary. These are cookies essential for the operation of the Sites (and/or certain features of the Sites). We use Strictly Necessary cookies on the Sites.
  • Analytical/Statistical. These cookies allow us to recognize and count the number of visitors and to see how visitors move around the Sites when they are using them. This helps us improve the way the Sites work, for example, by ensuring that users are finding what they are looking for easily. We use Analytical/Statistical cookies on the Sites. For example, we use Google Analytics, a web analytics tool that helps us understand how visitors engage with our Sites. It uses cookies to show us how visitors found and explored the Sites, and how we can enhance their experience. It provides us with information about the behavior of our visitors (e.g. how long they stayed on the website, the average number of pages viewed) and also tells us how many visitors we have had.
  • Preference/Functionality. These cookies are used to recognize you when you return to the Sites. This enables us to personalize our content for you and/or remember your preferences (for example, your choice of language or region). We use Preference/Functional cookies on the Sites.
  • Marketing/Advertising. These cookies collect information about your browsing habits in order to make advertising relevant to you and your interests. The cookies are also used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement as well as to help measure the effectiveness of the advertising campaign. They are usually placed by advertising networks with the website operator’s permission. They remember that you have visited a website and this information may be shared with other organizations, such as advertisers, who recognize you as someone who is interested in our products and who are then able to provide you with relevant advertisements about our products when you are on our or other websites. We use Marketing/Advertising cookies on the Sites.

Why Do We Use Cookies?

We use cookies to collect information and support certain features of our Sites. For example, we may use cookies to:

  • collect information about the way visitors use our Sites, e.g. which pages they visit, which links they use, and how long they stay on each page.
  • support the features and functionality of this Site, e.g., to save you the trouble of re-entering information already in our database or to prompt the settings you established on previous visits.
  • personalize your experience when you use our Sites; and
  • improve our marketing efforts, including through use of targeted advertising.

 Your Cookie Choices

[Except where cookies are essential for us to provide you with the Sites or the specific service you have requested, we will not place cookies on your device unless you click [Accept] on the pop-up banner provided on the Sites.]

If you do not wish to receive cookies, you may also set your browser to reject cookies or to alert you when a cookie is placed on your computer. Although you are not required to accept cookies when you visit the Sites, you may be unable to use all of the functionality of the Sites if your browser rejects our cookies.

Information about Third Party Cookies

In addition to the cookies Blake delivers to your computer or mobile device through the Sites, certain third parties may deliver cookies to you for a variety of reasons. For example, we use Google Analytics, a web analytics tool that helps us understand how visitors engage with our Sites. To learn more about Google Analytics, click here.

Other third parties may deliver cookies to your computer or mobile device for the purpose of tracking your online behaviors over time and across nonaffiliated websites and/or delivering targeted advertisements either on the Sites or on other websites.

You have choices about the collection of information by third parties on our Sites. For example, if you don't want information about your visit to the Sites sent to Google Analytics, you may download an Opt-out Browser Add-on by clicking here. Please note that the Add-on does not prevent information from being sent to Blake.

In addition, if you would like to opt-out of having interest-based information collected by certain entities during your visits to the Sites or other websites, please click here. You will be directed to an industry-developed website that contains mechanisms for choosing whether each listed entity may collect and use data for online behavioral advertising purposes. It may be that some of the third parties that collect interest-based information on the Sites do not participate in the industry-developed opt-out website, in which case the best way to avoid third-party tracking of your online behaviors may be through

Throughout the Sites we may link to other websites owned and/or operated by certain third parties. These other third party websites may also use cookies or similar technologies in accordance with their own separate policies. For privacy information relating to these other third party websites, please consult their policies as appropriate.

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8.     How We Use Your Information

We only use your personal information in accordance with applicable law. Generally, we use the information we collect through the Sites:

  • to provide the information, products and services you request or to facilitate a transaction (e.g. a donation) which you initiate
  • to provide you with effective service;
  • to provide you with a personalized experience when you use the Sites;
  • to contact you with information and notices related to your use of the Sites;
  • to contact you with information we believe will be of interest to you (in accordance with any privacy preferences you have expressed to us);to invite you to participate in surveys and provide Feedback to us (in accordance with any privacy preferences you have expressed to us);to improve the content, functionality and usability of the Sites;
  • to better understand your needs and interests;
  • to improve our products and services;
  • to improve our marketing and promotional efforts;
  • for security, credit or fraud prevention purposes; and
  • for any other purpose identified in an applicable Privacy Notice, click-through agreement or other agreement between you and us.

Blake does not and will never sell constituent information to anyone. All personal information is strictly guarded for use by individual alumni and parents for personal and School-related purposes only.

Additional information for European Users

For European Users, we rely on the following legal grounds for processing your personal information

Processing Purpose

Legal Basis to Process your Personal Information

Provide the information, products and services you request or to facilitate a transaction (e.g. a donation) which you initiate.

Performance of a contract or our legitimate interests.

Provide you with effective service

Our legitimate interests.

Provide you with a personalized experience when you use the Sites

Your consent.

Contact you with information and notices related to your use of the Sites

Our legitimate interests and, where deemed to constitute marketing, your consent.

Invite you to participate in surveys and provide Feedback to us (in accordance with any privacy preferences you have expressed to us)

Our legitimate interests and, where deemed to constitute marketing, your consent.

Improve the content, functionality and usability of the Sites

Our legitimate interests.

Better understand your needs and interests

Our legitimate interests.

Improve our products and services

Our legitimate interests.

Improve our marketing and promotional efforts

Our legitimate interests or, where applicable, your consent.

Security, credit or fraud prevention purposes

To comply with a legal or regulatory obligation and/or our legitimate interests.

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9.     How We Share Your Information

We share your personal information only when it is necessary for the Sites, it is legally required, or when permitted by you. We share personal information with third parties as follows:

With Third–Party Vendors. Blake shares information collected through the Sites with third-party vendors who act for us or on our behalf. For example, we may use third-party vendors to design and operate the Sites; to conduct surveys; and to help us with our promotional efforts. We use Veracross to provide Blake’s Online Community platform. These third-party vendors may need information about you to perform their functions.

With Other Users of the Sites. You may be able to submit User-Generated Content on or through the Sites. In this Policy, "User-Generated Content" or "UGC" refers to content that you post using the social networking tools we make available to you and that does not constitute "Feedback" (as that term is defined in our Terms of Use). Any personal information contained in UGC can be read, collected, or used by others. In addition, we may use UGC you submit for advertising campaigns and other promotions. We may or may not use your name in connection with such use, and we may or may not seek your consent before using the content for such purposes. Therefore, you should have no expectation of privacy with respect to UGC you submit on or through the Sites.

With Other, Carefully Selected Business Partners. From time to time, we may share your information with selected third parties for their own marketing purposes. For example, we may partner with third parties to sponsor contests or other promotions, and we may share with these third parties the information you submit to us to participate in the contest or take advantage of the promotion. Before doing so, however, we may offer you the opportunity to "opt out" or "opt in," as required by applicable law.

In Aggregate or Anonymized Form. We use information collected through the Sites to create a compiled, aggregate view of usage patterns. We may share aggregate or anonymized information with third parties so they can better understand our user base. Third parties typically use this information for analytical purposes and to market their own products and services.

As Part of a Business Transfer. Your information may be transferred to successor organization if, for example, we transfer the ownership or operation of the Sites to another organization or if we merge with another organization. If such a transfer occurs, the successor organization's use of your information will still be subject to this Policy and the privacy preferences you have expressed to us.

To Comply with Laws and Protect Our Rights and the Rights of Others. We may disclose your information when we, in good faith, believe disclosure is appropriate to comply with the law, a court order or a subpoena. We may also disclose your information to prevent or investigate a possible crime, such as fraud or identity theft; to protect the security of the Sites; to enforce or apply our online Terms of Use or other agreements; or to protect our own rights or property or the rights, property or safety of our users or others.

As Described in a Privacy Notice or Click-Through Agreement. We reserve the right to disclose your information as described in any Privacy Notice posted on a page of the Sites where you provide that information. By providing your information on that page you will be consenting to the disclosure of your information as described in that privacy notice. We also reserve the right to disclose your information as described in any click–through agreement to which you have agreed.

We share information about you that has been aggregated or anonymized, including activity data (see above), such that it cannot reasonably be used to identify you in any way for any lawful purpose.

Mobile Data. No mobile information will be shared with third parties/affiliates for marketing/promotional purposes. All other categories exclude text messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information will not be shared with any third parties.

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10.  How Long We Retain Information

We only retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including for the purposes of satisfying legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.

Additional information for European users

Where you have an account on the Sites, we retain your personal information while you have an account. Where you choose to terminate your account, we delete or anonymize your personal information within [100[2] ] days, unless we need to retain your personal information for legal, accounting, or reporting reasons. In some circumstances we may anonymize your personal information (so that it can no longer be associated with you) in which case we may use this information indefinitely without further notice to you.

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11.  How We Protect Your Information

Blake maintains reasonable administrative, physical and technological measures to protect the confidentiality and security of personal information you submit on or through the Sites. Unfortunately, no website, app or database is completely secure or “hacker proof.” We therefore cannot guarantee that your personal information will not be disclosed, misused or lost by accident or by the unauthorized acts of others.

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12.  International Transfers

Blake is located in the United States and the information it collects through the Sites may be stored in the United States or elsewhere. Data protection laws vary by country and U.S. data protection laws may not provide as much protection as the data protection laws in force in some other countries. However, we will process your information in accordance with this Policy no matter where our data is stored. If you are located in a country outside the United States, by using the Sites you acknowledge and consent to the transfer of your information to the United States.

Additional information for European users 

Where our service providers or other third parties (identified above) based outside the European Economic Area and/or the UK receive personal information subject to the GDPR, we ensure the transfer is either (a) to a country deemed to provide an adequate level of protection by a relevant government authority (e.g. the European Commission or the UK government) or (b) pursuant to standard contractual clauses approved by a relevant government authority (e.g. the European Commission or the UK government).

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13.  Accessing and Correcting Your Personal Information; Your Rights

 We will comply with any rights provided to you under applicable law. In addition, you can review and change your personal information by logging into the Sites and visiting your account profile page. You may also contact us using the contact details below (Contact Us) to request access to, correct, or delete any personal information that you have provided to us. We may not accommodate a request to change information if believe the change would violate any law or legal requirement or cause the information to be incorrect.

Additional information for European users

If you are a European user, you have the following rights in relation to the personal information we hold about you, unless provided otherwise by relevant local legislation:

  • Request access to your personal information.
  • Request correction of your personal information
  • Request erasure of your personal information.
  • Object to processing of your personal information.
  • Request restriction of processing your personal information.
  • Request transfer of your personal information.
  • Right to withdraw consent (where we rely on your consent as our basis for processing).

We respond to all legitimate requests within one month. If, taking into account the complexity and number of requests, we require longer to respond we may extend the timeframe by up to two further months, but we will notify you if this is the case. Where a request is clearly unfounded or excessive, we may either charge a reasonable fee or refuse the request. You have the right to make a complaint at any time to your supervisory authority for data protection issues. However, we would appreciate the opportunity to address any concern you have in the first instance. Therefore, please contact us before contacting your supervisory authority.

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14.  A Note About Children's Privacy

You must be at least 13 years old to have our permission to use the Sites. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 years of age on the Sites. If you are under the age of 13, you may not use the Sites.

Additional information for European users

To validly consent to the processing of your personal information under the GDPR, you must be at least 16 years old unless the country or territory where you reside has provided for a lower age of digital consent. Accordingly, users of the Sites under the age of 16 who are European users, may not use the Sites.

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15.  Links to Other Websites

The Sites may contain links to other websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of other websites. We encourage users to read the privacy statements of other websites that collect personal information. This Policy applies only to information collected by us via the Sites.

For example, if you wish to apply for admission online, you will be directed to a website owned and operated by one of our vendors. There may also be links to websites owned by third parties with which Blake has no relationship at all. Links to these third-party websites are provided for your reference and convenience only and do not necessarily imply any endorsement of the products, services, or content found on these websites, nor any association with their operators. Blake does not control these websites and is not responsible for their data practices. Any information you provide to third parties on their websites is covered under their privacy and data collection policies and is not covered by this Policy. We urge you to review the privacy policy posted on any site you visit before using the site or providing any personal information.

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16.  Questions About This Policy or Blake's Data Practices

If you have questions or concerns about this Policy, any Privacy Notice, or Blake's data practices, please contact us by email at communications@blakeschool.org. You may also contact us at:

The Blake School
110 Blake Road South
Hopkins, MN 55343
952.988.3600

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17.  This Policy May Change

Blake reserves the right to update or modify this Policy and any Privacy Notice, at any time and without prior notice (unless required by applicable law), by posting the revised version of the Policy or Privacy Notice on the Sites. These changes will only apply to the information we collect after we have posted the revised Policy or Privacy Notice on the Sites.

Your use of the Sites following any such change constitutes your agreement that all information collected from or about you after the revised Policy is posted will be subject to the terms of the revised Policy. You may access the current version of this Policy at any time by clicking on the link marked "Privacy" at the bottom of each page of the public areas of the Sites.

Last revised: September 24, 2021