St. Joseph Catholic School
Escuela Católica San José · Tampa, Florida
Privacy Policy
How St. Joseph Catholic School collects, uses, protects, and shares information about families, students, alumni, donors, and website visitors.
Effective date: August 28, 2026 · Last updated: August 28, 2026
Our commitment in one line
We collect only what we need to run a school and care for children, we do not sell personal information, and we never share mobile numbers or text message consent data with third parties for marketing. Jump to any section below.
Overview and scope
St. Joseph Catholic School respects the privacy of the families, students, alumni, donors, and visitors who trust us with their information. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect through this website and our school communications, how we use it, who we share it with, and the choices you have.
This policy covers the school website and our email and text message communications. It does not cover third-party platforms we link to, such as our family portal, FACTS tuition management, or our payment processor, each of which publishes its own privacy policy. Student education records are additionally governed by Diocese of St. Petersburg policy and applicable law.
Information we collect
Information you give us
- Names and contact details of parents, guardians, and students, including mailing address, email address, and mobile number.
- Information submitted when you request a tour, ask a question, apply for admission, or register a student.
- Payment and billing details when you make a gift or a tuition payment, submitted directly to our payment processor.
- Information you volunteer in email, at the front office, or in school forms — for example a health note, a dismissal change, or a volunteer interest.
Information collected automatically
- Standard server and analytics data such as IP address, browser and device type, referring page, pages viewed, and time of visit.
- Cookie and similar identifiers used to keep the site working and to measure aggregate traffic.
Information from other sources
- Enrollment, billing, and payment status information from our student information system and tuition management provider.
- Diocesan or parish records where a family participates in parish programs.
- Publicly available information used to acknowledge gifts and steward donor relationships.
How we use information
- To operate the school: enrollment, attendance, academics, health and safety, transportation and dismissal, athletics, and after-school programs.
- To communicate with parents and guardians about their own children, including emergency and closure notices.
- To process tuition, fees, and charitable gifts, and to issue receipts and acknowledgments.
- To respond to admissions inquiries and confirm tours and appointments you requested.
- To share school and parish community news with families, alumni, and supporters who wish to receive it.
- To maintain the security and integrity of our website and systems.
- To meet legal, accreditation, diocesan, and audit obligations.
We do not use student information to build advertising profiles, and we do not sell information about students or families.
Text messaging and mobile information
No mobile information will be shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. Text messaging originator opt-in data and consent records are not shared with any third party.
Mobile numbers and SMS consent records are used solely to deliver the school notifications described on our Text Message Program page. They may be processed by the messaging service providers that transmit our messages on our behalf, under contract and only for that purpose.
You may withdraw SMS consent at any time by replying STOP to any message, by emailing the office, or by updating your preferences in the family portal. Withdrawing consent does not affect your child’s enrollment or standing.
Cookies and analytics
We use a small number of cookies and similar technologies to keep the site functioning, remember your language preference, and understand aggregate traffic patterns so we can improve the site. Analytics data is reviewed in aggregate and is not used to identify individual visitors.
You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings. Some parts of the site may not work as expected if you do. We do not respond to browser Do Not Track signals at this time, and we do not use advertising cookies to target children.
How we share information
We do not sell, rent, or trade personal information. We share it only in the following circumstances:
- Service providers. Vendors that operate our student information system, family portal, tuition management, messaging, email, website hosting, and payment processing — bound by contract to use the information only to provide those services.
- Diocese and parish. Diocese of St. Petersburg offices and St. Joseph Parish, for school governance, accreditation, safe-environment compliance, and sacramental records.
- School partners. Providers of specific programs a family has chosen, such as lunch service, uniform ordering, athletics leagues, or standardized testing.
- Safety and legal. Emergency responders, child protective authorities, or law enforcement where required by law or where necessary to protect a child.
- Professional advisors and auditors. Where needed for audit, insurance, or legal purposes, subject to confidentiality.
Payment information
Online gifts and payments are handled by a third-party processor that maintains its own security standards. The school does not receive or store complete card numbers or bank account numbers. We retain only the transaction record needed for accounting, receipting, and donor acknowledgment.
Children’s privacy
This website is directed to parents, guardians, and other adults, not to children. We do not knowingly collect personal information online directly from children under 13 without parental consent. Where a classroom uses an online educational tool, the school reviews the tool and provides consent on an educational-purpose basis consistent with diocesan policy and applicable law.
Student information is never sold or used for targeted advertising. If you believe a child has provided personal information through this website without your consent, email [email protected] and we will delete it.
How long we keep information
We keep information for as long as needed for the purpose it was collected and for the periods required by diocesan record-retention policy, accreditation standards, and law. Permanent academic records are retained indefinitely as required. Inquiry and marketing contact information is removed on request. Consent records for text messaging are retained for as long as the number remains on our list, and for a reasonable period afterward as proof that consent was given and honored.
How we protect information
We use administrative, technical, and physical safeguards appropriate to a school of our size — access controls limiting records to staff with a legitimate need, encrypted transmission for our website and portal, vetted vendors, and staff training including diocesan safe-environment requirements.
No method of transmission or storage is completely secure. If a breach affecting personal information occurs, we will notify affected families and the appropriate authorities as required by law.
Your choices and rights
- Access and correction. Parents and guardians may review and request correction of their own contact information and their student’s records by emailing the office.
- Email preferences. Use the unsubscribe link in non-essential email, or ask the office to adjust your preferences. Required school and safety notices continue while your student is enrolled.
- Text messages. Reply STOP to any message, or ask the office to remove your number.
- Photography. Limit or withdraw your student’s media authorization in writing at any time.
- Deletion. Request deletion of information we are not required to retain by law, diocesan policy, or accreditation standards.
Third-party links
Our website links to other organizations, including the Diocese of St. Petersburg, the family portal, FACTS, our uniform supplier, and our payment processor. Once you leave our site, this policy no longer applies. Please review the privacy policy of any site you visit.
Where information is processed
The school operates in Tampa, Florida, in the United States, and our vendors generally process information in the United States. If you access this website from outside the United States, you understand that your information will be processed here under United States law.
Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy as our practices, technology, or legal obligations change. The effective date at the top of this page shows when the current version took effect, and material changes affecting enrolled families will also be communicated by email or through the family portal.
How to reach us
Questions, requests, or concerns about privacy may be sent to [email protected], or mailed to St. Joseph Catholic School, 2200 N. Gomez Avenue, Tampa, FL 33607. Se habla español. We respond to written requests during school hours and will acknowledge your request within a reasonable time.
Questions about this policy?
Email the front office at [email protected], or write to St. Joseph Catholic School, 2200 N. Gomez Avenue, Tampa, FL 33607 — se habla español.