Privacy Policy
Effective Date: September 24, 2026 | Last Updated: September 24, 2026
Ridgecrest Christian Academy (“RCA,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) operates the website located at https://rcadothan.org (the “Site”). RCA is a ministry of Ridgecrest Baptist Church in Dothan, Alabama, serving students from preschool through middle school.
We respect the privacy of the families, prospective families, employees, donors, and visitors who use our Site. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect through the Site, how we use it, when we share it, and the choices available to you. Please read it carefully. By using the Site, you agree to the practices described here.
1. Scope of This Policy
This Policy applies only to information collected through the Site. It does not apply to information collected offline, in person, by mail, or by telephone, and it does not apply to third-party websites or services that we link to, even when those links appear on our Site. Those services have their own privacy policies, and we encourage you to review them.
Student education records maintained by the school in the ordinary course of enrollment are handled under the school’s enrollment agreements and student handbook rather than under this Site policy. The one exception is consent to receive text messages: if you opt in to receive texts from RCA — whether by texting a keyword, checking a box on a paper enrollment or registration form, or giving us your mobile number for this purpose through any other channel — that opt-in and the mobile number tied to it are covered by this Policy, including the text messaging practices in Section 9, even though the opt-in itself may have happened offline, on paper, or by phone.
2. Information We Collect
2.1 Information You Provide Directly
We collect information only when you choose to give it to us through a form or other feature on the Site. Depending on the form, this may include:
- Your name and the name of your child or children
- Your email address, mailing address, and telephone number
- Your child’s age, grade level, or intended year of entry
- The program or campus you are interested in
- Preferred tour dates or appointment times
- Any comments, questions, or other information you include in a message field
Forms on the Site may include admissions inquiries, tour requests, contact and general question forms, employment interest forms, and newsletter or email list sign-ups. You are not required to submit any of this information in order to browse the Site.
2.2 Information Collected Automatically
Like most websites, our Site and the services that support it automatically collect certain technical information when you visit. This may include:
- Your IP address and general geographic location derived from it
- Browser type and version, device type, and operating system
- The pages you view, the time and date of your visit, and how long you stay on a page
- The website or search term that referred you to our Site
- Links you click and files you download
This information is collected in aggregate and is used to understand how the Site is performing. We do not use it to try to identify individual visitors by name.
3. Cookies and Similar Technologies
A cookie is a small text file placed on your device by a website. We and our service providers use cookies and similar technologies, such as pixels, tags, and local storage, to operate the Site, remember your preferences, and measure how the Site is used.
- Essential cookies. These are necessary for the Site to function, including for page delivery, security, and form submission.
- Analytics cookies. These help us understand traffic patterns and improve the Site.
- Advertising and social media cookies and pixels. These may be set by social platforms so that we can measure the performance of our posts and, in some cases, show information about the school to people who have visited the Site.
Most web browsers accept cookies by default. You can set your browser to refuse cookies, to delete cookies already on your device, or to alert you when a cookie is being set. If you disable cookies, some parts of the Site may not work as intended.
4. Analytics and Social Media Tools
We use third-party analytics and social media tools to understand how visitors find and use the Site. These may include, among others:
- Google Analytics, which helps us measure traffic, page performance, and general visitor behavior. Google’s practices are described at https://policies.google.com/privacy, and you may opt out of Google Analytics using the browser add-on at https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
- Meta (Facebook and Instagram) tools, including the Meta Pixel, which may be used to measure the reach of our social media posts and school announcements.
- Embedded content from services such as YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. When a page contains embedded content, that service may collect information about your visit as though you had visited the service directly.
These providers act as independent parties with respect to the information they collect through their own technologies. We do not sell information collected on the Site, and we do not permit these providers to use information collected on our Site to build marketing profiles of children.
5. Children’s Privacy
RCA serves children, and we take children’s privacy seriously.
The Site is designed for and directed to adults — parents, guardians, prospective families, alumni, donors, employees, and applicants. It is not designed for use by children, and we do not knowingly collect personal information online directly from children under the age of 13.
Where information about a child appears on the Site — for example, a child’s first name and grade on an admissions inquiry form — it is provided by a parent or legal guardian, not collected from the child. We use that information only to respond to the inquiry and to administer the admissions process.
Consistent with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”), we do not condition a child’s participation in any activity on the disclosure of more personal information than is reasonably necessary, and we do not knowingly allow children to post information publicly on the Site.
If you believe that a child under 13 has provided personal information to us through the Site without parental consent, please contact us using the information in Section 13. We will promptly review the matter and delete the information from our records where appropriate. A parent or guardian may also ask us to review, correct, or delete information we have received about their child, and to refuse further collection of that information.
6. How We Use Information
We use the information we collect for the following purposes:
- To respond to inquiries, questions, and tour or appointment requests
- To provide information about admissions, programs, events, and school activities
- To communicate with current and prospective families
- To consider applications for employment or volunteer service
- To send newsletters, announcements, and other communications you have asked to receive
- To operate, maintain, secure, and improve the Site
- To understand which pages and programs visitors find most useful
- To comply with applicable law and to protect the rights, property, and safety of RCA, our students, and our community
7. How We Share Information
We do not sell, rent, or trade personal information collected through the Site. We may share information in the following limited circumstances:
- Service providers. We share information with vendors who perform services on our behalf, such as website hosting, email delivery, form processing, and analytics. These providers may use the information only to perform services for us.
- Ridgecrest Baptist Church. As the school operates as a ministry of the church, information may be shared internally for administrative and ministry purposes.
- Legal requirements. We may disclose information if required to do so by law, subpoena, court order, or other legal process, or when we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, investigate fraud, or protect the safety of any person.
- Organizational changes. If RCA undergoes a merger, reorganization, or transfer of operations, information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to this Policy.
Notwithstanding the above, mobile phone numbers and any consent to receive text messages (opt-ins) are never shared with Ridgecrest Baptist Church, with any other third party, or used by RCA itself, for marketing or promotional purposes. Mobile numbers collected for texting are used solely to send the school-related messages described in Section 9.
8. Third-Party Websites and Services
The Site links to and may direct you toward third-party websites and services, including our parent portal, online giving and donation platforms, the spirit store, church and denominational sites, accrediting organizations, curriculum providers, and social media pages. Once you leave our Site, this Privacy Policy no longer applies. Any information you provide on a third-party site is governed by that site’s own terms and privacy policy. We are not responsible for the content, security, or privacy practices of any site we do not control.
9. Email, Text, and Other Communications
If you provide your email address or phone number, we may use it to respond to you and to send school-related communications. Marketing and newsletter emails include an unsubscribe link, and you may opt out at any time by using that link or by contacting the school office. Please note that even if you opt out of promotional messages, we may still send you transactional or operational messages related to an inquiry, application, or enrollment.
You may opt out of text messages at any time by replying STOP to any text you receive from RCA. Marketing emails include an unsubscribe link, and you may opt out of those at any time by using that link or by contacting the school office.
10. Data Security and Retention
We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect the information we collect through the Site. However, no method of transmission over the internet and no method of electronic storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee the absolute security of any information you transmit to us, and you provide that information at your own risk.
We retain information collected through the Site for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Policy, to maintain school and ministry records, and to comply with our legal obligations. When information is no longer needed, we take reasonable steps to delete it or render it unidentifiable.
11. Your Choices
- You may choose not to submit information through any form on the Site.
- You may unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time.
- You may adjust your browser settings to limit or block cookies.
- You may use the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on and the advertising preference settings offered by social platforms.
- You may contact the school office to ask what information we hold about you, to correct it, or to request that we delete it, subject to our record-keeping and legal obligations.
Do Not Track
Some browsers offer a “Do Not Track” signal. Because no common industry standard for responding to these signals has been adopted, the Site does not currently respond to them.
12. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or applicable law. When we do, we will revise the “Last Updated” date above. Material changes will be posted on this page. Your continued use of the Site after a change takes effect means you accept the revised Policy.
13. Contact Us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, or if you would like to review, correct, or delete information we hold about you or your child, please contact us:
Ridgecrest Christian Academy
1231 Fortner Street
Dothan, Alabama 36301
School Office: (334) 805-9991
Early Learning Center Office: (334) 792-8441
Email: info@rcadothan.org
Website: https://rcadothan.org