COUNSELOR_POLICY
PLANNED FEATURE — NOT YET ACTIVE — MARCH 30, 2026
Status: Upcoming Feature
The counselor access feature described on this page is not yet active. This document is published in advance so students, parents, and counselors understand exactly how it will work before it launches. No counselor currently has access to any student data.
1. Overview
BalanceBoard is developing an optional feature that allows licensed school counselors to view a curated wellness summary for students who explicitly choose to share it. This feature is built on the core principle that student consent is absolute and revocable at any time. No student data will be shared with any counselor without the student's active, informed, separately-given consent.
2. What Counselors Would Be Able to See
With explicit student consent, a connected counselor would be able to view:
Counselor Can See (With Consent)
- Weekly wellness summary (average mood, stress, sleep scores)
- Trend data (is stress improving or worsening week-over-week)
- Current streak and engagement level
- Academic workload level (Low/Medium/High/Critical)
- Number of overdue tasks (not their content)
- Any crisis resources accessed in the last 30 days
Counselor Can NEVER See
- Individual daily journal notes or free-text entries
- AI Buddy conversation history
- Anonymous Vent Room messages
- Anonymous Peer Support Forum posts
- Study Pod messages or files
- Google Classroom data or academic assignments
- Any content from Connect features (always anonymized)
- The student's anonymous usernames
3. How Consent Will Work
Consent for counselor access will be:
- Separate from account creation — You will never be asked to grant counselor access during onboarding or as a condition of using BalanceBoard
- Specific and informed — You will see exactly which data your counselor can view before granting access, using plain language descriptions
- Student-initiated — Only the student can grant counselor access. No school, parent, or administrator can grant it on the student's behalf
- Revocable at any time — You can disconnect a counselor instantly from Settings, with immediate effect
- Time-limited — Consent will expire after 90 days and require renewal, preventing stale access
- Age-appropriate — For students 13–17, we will recommend (but not require) that a parent review the consent before the student grants it
4. Counselor Verification Requirements
Before any counselor account is approved:
- Must provide proof of current school employment (school-issued email required)
- Must provide state licensing credentials (Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, School Counselor certification, or equivalent)
- Must complete BalanceBoard's counselor orientation (covering safe messaging, privacy obligations, and platform limitations)
- Must agree to a separate Counselor Data Processing Agreement
- Must confirm they are bound by professional confidentiality obligations under state and federal law
- School administrators may register their entire counseling staff through an institutional agreement
5. Legal Framework
The counselor feature is designed to comply with:
- FERPA: Students over 18 (or emancipated minors) control their own FERPA rights. For students under 18, we will implement age-appropriate consent flows consistent with FERPA's provisions.
- State Student Privacy Laws: States like California (AB 1584), New York, and others have specific requirements for EdTech platforms. We will comply with the most protective applicable state law.
- School Counselor Confidentiality: School counselors are already bound by professional confidentiality obligations under state law and ASCA (American School Counselor Association) ethics. Their access to BalanceBoard data does not expand or reduce those obligations.
- Mandatory Reporting: School counselors are mandatory reporters in all U.S. states. Their existing legal obligations (not BalanceBoard's) govern when they must report concerning information to authorities. BalanceBoard does not become a mandatory reporter simply by enabling this feature.
6. For Counselors: Getting Started (When Available)
If you are a school counselor interested in BalanceBoard when this feature launches:
- Email support@balanceboard.app with subject "Counselor Interest" to be added to the early access waitlist
- Institutional partnerships (school-wide deployment) are available — contact us for a demo
- BalanceBoard is not a replacement for school counseling services — it is a data-informed tool to help counselors better understand student wellness trends
7. For Parents & Guardians
Parents and guardians do NOT have access to BalanceBoard student data by default. BalanceBoard is designed to give students a private space to track their own wellness. We believe students are more likely to be honest about their stress and mental health when they have privacy.
If a parent is concerned about their child's mental health, we recommend speaking directly with their school counselor, who can discuss appropriate resources and does have professional obligations to the family.
If a parent wishes to request data about their minor child under FERPA, they may submit a request to support@balanceboard.app with appropriate documentation. We will evaluate these requests on a case-by-case basis consistent with FERPA's requirements.