Privacy Policy | Northstar

Effective Date: August 2026

Northstar Achievement Pathways LLC (“Northstar”) respects your privacy. This policy explains how information is handled through our website and services, including educational-support services and Life Histories & Legacy Messages projects.

Information We Collect and Use

Northstar may collect contact information, appointment and payment details, website or intake-form responses, communications, educational information voluntarily provided by clients or parents, written speech-to-text transcripts and session notes, audio or video recordings when part of an approved project, photographs, documents, archival materials, transcripts, and other materials voluntarily provided for Northstar services.

Wix and related providers may also collect technical information, including IP address, browser information, website activity, and cookies.

Northstar uses information to respond to inquiries, manage appointments and payments, provide services, prepare client or project materials, communicate with clients, maintain business records, improve the website, protect security, and comply with legal obligations.

Speech-to-Text, Recording, and AI-Assisted Tools

For educational-support services, with the consent required by the applicable services agreement, Northstar uses Microsoft Word Dictate, a speech-to-text technology, to convert spoken words into written text in real time during sessions. Northstar does not create or retain an audio recording of educational-support sessions through this process.

For Life Histories & Legacy Messages projects, Northstar may create and retain audio or video recordings when recording is included in the applicable Project Proposal and the Interview Subject has provided the required consent.

Northstar may use AI-assisted tools to organize transcripts, identify themes, develop outlines, prepare session notes, strategies, draft narratives, or other client and project materials.

For educational-support services, adult clients, or parents or legal guardians on behalf of minor clients, may opt out of future AI-assisted processing by emailing northpath.office@gmail.com.

For Life Histories & Legacy Messages projects, the Interview Subject may opt out of future AI-assisted processing by written notice to Northstar.

An opt-out applies only to future AI-assisted processing and does not reverse processing completed before the opt-out was received. Northstar will not authorize a provider to use Client, Student, Parent, or Interview Subject content for advertising or model training.

Information Sharing

Northstar does not sell or rent personal information.

Information may be shared as reasonably necessary with providers supporting website hosting, scheduling, payments, email, video meetings, speech-to-text, transcription, filming, editing, AI-assisted processing, cloud storage, production, and technology support.

Information may also be disclosed with written authorization, when required by law or valid legal process, to address an immediate safety concern, when required or permitted by applicable reporting laws, or to obtain legal, accounting, insurance, or security advice or assistance.

Retention and Security

For clients who receive educational-support services only as adults, records are retained for three years after the last session or termination of the applicable services agreement, whichever occurs later, and then securely deleted or destroyed, subject to routine backups and legal-retention needs.

For educational-support services provided to minors, Northstar retains written speech-to-text transcripts, detailed session notes, AI-assisted session materials, and educational materials for three years after the last session or termination of the Parent/Guardian Educational Support Services Agreement, whichever occurs later.

Northstar separately retains a limited administrative record for minor educational-support clients, including the signed agreement, identifying information, a basic session log, and any incident or safety reports, until the later of the Student’s 25th birthday or seven years after the last session.

For Life Histories & Legacy Messages projects, unless the applicable Project Proposal provides otherwise, Northstar may retain raw recordings, transcripts, working files, and other project materials for up to three years after final delivery or termination of the project and may then securely delete or destroy them. Signed agreements, releases, basic project records, and financial records may be retained for a longer period when reasonably necessary for legal, insurance, tax, or business-record purposes.

Retention periods may be extended when required by law, court order, insurance requirements, or a pending or reasonably anticipated legal proceeding.

Northstar uses reasonable measures to protect personal information, but no electronic system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

Children’s and Minors’ Privacy

Northstar provides services to adults and minors. For educational-support services involving a minor, a parent or legal guardian must provide or authorize information submitted about the minor and must complete registration, scheduling, and other required forms on behalf of the minor when applicable.

Children under age 13 should not independently submit personal information through Northstar’s website, scheduling system, or other online tools.

If Northstar becomes aware that personal information has been submitted directly by a child under age 13 without appropriate parental or guardian involvement, Northstar may take reasonable steps to delete that information.

Your Choices

You may contact Northstar to correct information, ask privacy questions, or exercise applicable choices concerning future AI-assisted processing.

You may also request access to, correction of, or deletion of personal information, subject to applicable law and Northstar’s contractual, security, and record-retention obligations.

Changes to This Policy

Northstar may update this policy periodically. Revised versions will be posted on this website with an updated effective date.

Contact Information

If you have questions regarding this Privacy Policy, please contact:

Northstar Achievement Pathways LLC
Lorie C. Zackin, Ph.D.
northpath.office@gmail.com
860-798-1457