Decommissioning & Data Retention Policy
Outline
Last Updated: Jun 1, 2025
Polar Cloud is designed specifically for classroom, school, and district environments. We recognize that student work, printer history, and classroom projects represent real educational outcomes. Because of this, decommissioning is handled carefully, securely, and with full administrative control by the school or district.
This document explains exactly what happens when a school or district no longer maintains an active Polar Cloud license.
1. What Triggers Decommissioning?
A Polar Cloud environment may enter a decommissioning state under one of the following conditions:
The school or district license expires without renewal
The school or district formally requests account closure
A district consolidates or migrates to a different system
License expiration does not automatically trigger deletion of data.
2. Inactive State (Post-License Expiration)
When a license expires and is not immediately renewed:
All student and teacher accounts are placed into a secure inactive/read-only state
Printer access is disabled
New uploads, slicing, and print jobs are blocked
Existing data remains securely stored
This approach:
Prevents unauthorized use
Preserves student work and classroom records
Allows schools to resume service without data loss
Many schools Reactivate after temporary budget freezes, grant cycles, or staff transitions. This policy ensures continuity.
3. Data Retention Window
By default, Polar Cloud retains inactive school and district data for a defined retention period:
Default retention period: 24 months after license expiration
This retention window may be adjusted by written district request
During this period:
Data remains encrypted and securely stored
No marketing, analytics mining, or secondary use occurs
Data is not shared with any third party
4. Deletion by Written Request
Permanent deletion only occurs under one of the following conditions:
A formal written request from a school or district administrator
A contractually required deletion window defined by the district
The conclusion of the default retention period without renewal
Upon deletion request:
All school, teacher, and student accounts are permanently removed
All uploaded objects, snapshots, printer logs, and job history are securely deleted
Data destruction is irreversible
A confirmation of deletion can be provided upon request.
5. Student Data and Privacy Protections
Polar Cloud:
Does not sell student data
Does not use pupil records for product development
Does not perform targeted or behavioral marketing
Is designed to support FERPA-aligned environments
Student accounts exist only within the scope of their school’s authorized environment.
6. Reactivation After Inactivity
If a school or district reactivates service within the retention period:
All historical accounts, printers, classes, and objects can be restored
No re-import or re-onboarding is required
Classroom continuity is preserved
This is one of the most common reasons we do not perform automatic deletion at license expiration.
7. District-Specific Requirements
Polar Cloud regularly supports:
Custom data retention timelines
District security questionnaires
Legal data processing agreements (DPAs)
State-level student privacy compliance documentation
Districts may request customized retention or decommissioning workflows at any time.
8. Summary
License expiration does not trigger automatic deletion
Data enters a secure inactive state
Retention is preserved for reactivation
Permanent deletion happens only:
- By written request, or
- After the full retention window expires
This ensures safety, continuity, and full district control.