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IT Department Approval Request

Technical details for evaluating PrepPanel for district use

Extension Name: PrepPanel: Classroom Manager
Chrome Web Store ID: PrepPanel
Current Version: 3.5.7 (and subsequent minor updates)
Manifest Version: 3 (Latest Chrome extension platform)
Developer: PrepPanel LLC

Dear IT Administrator,

A teacher in your district has requested approval for PrepPanel, a Chrome extension used for classroom management. This document provides the technical details your team needs to evaluate the extension for district use.

PrepPanel was built by a former classroom teacher and instructional technology integrationist who understands the importance of student data privacy and the constraints of school network environments. The extension was designed from the ground up with a local-first, privacy-by-default architecture.

Permissions

PrepPanel requests only two Chrome permissions:

Permission Purpose
storage Save classroom data to chrome.storage.local on the teacher's device
sidePanel Display the extension in Chrome's built-in side panel

PrepPanel does NOT request:

  • tabs or activeTab (cannot see open tabs or page content)
  • history or bookmarks
  • webRequest or webNavigation (cannot intercept network traffic)
  • cookies or browsingData
  • Any host permissions (cannot access or inject code into web pages)
  • identity (no Google account access)
  • notifications

PrepPanel has no content scripts. It cannot read, modify, or interact with any website a teacher or student visits.

Data Storage

All data is stored locally using chrome.storage.local. This includes class rosters, participation logs, seating charts, mastery records, and pacing data. This data:

  • Never leaves the teacher's device by default
  • Is sandboxed to the teacher's Chrome profile
  • Is protected by any OS-level disk encryption (BitLocker, FileVault) already in place
  • Is removed if the extension is uninstalled or Chrome data is cleared

No server-side database stores teacher or student information.

Network Activity

PrepPanel makes no external network requests that transmit user or student data. The only non-WebRTC network activity is an anonymous version check — once per day, the extension sends its version number (e.g., "3.5.7") to a Cloudflare Worker. No user identifier, student data, IP address, or device information is logged. This is less data than a normal website visit.

The two optional exceptions both use WebRTC peer-to-peer connections that share the same privacy architecture:

1. Share to Display (WebRTC)

Teachers can optionally project a pacing tracker to a separate classroom screen (such as a projector or smartboard) using a peer-to-peer WebRTC connection. The teacher generates a room code in the extension, which is then entered on a dedicated display page. This allows the teacher to keep their private dashboard (with student names and notes) on their device while showing only the progress visuals to the class. The display page is a static site that does not require an account.

2. Remote Clicker (WebRTC)

Teachers can optionally use a second device (phone, tablet, or laptop) as a wireless remote control for the participation lineup. The teacher opens a lightweight web page on that device, enters a room code shown on their private dashboard, and gains the ability to advance through students, log participation quality, skip, and undo—without being tethered to their computer.

Both features share these properties:

  • Transmit only WebRTC connection metadata (offers, answers, ICE candidates) through a signaling server at signal.preppanelclassroom.com.
  • Never transmit student names, grades, or any educational data through the server—that data flows directly between devices over an encrypted peer-to-peer channel.
  • Use temporary room codes that expire after 10 minutes and are SHA-256 hashed before storage.
  • Use Cloudflare TURN relay servers for NAT traversal, with Google STUN servers (stun.l.google.com:19302) as a lightweight fallback. TURN credentials are short-lived (generated on demand via the signaling server) and carry no user data—they only facilitate the encrypted peer-to-peer connection.

The external web pages (for display and remote control) are static sites hosted on Cloudflare Pages; they contain no analytics, tracking, or cookies.

If your firewall blocks these domains, the core extension is unaffected. Only these optional features require them.

What Data Does PrepPanel Handle?

Only data that the teacher manually enters:

  • Student first names or identifiers (as entered by the teacher)
  • Class/section names
  • Participation records and mastery assessments
  • Seating chart layouts
  • Pacing tracker progress

PrepPanel does not collect:

  • Student email addresses, phone numbers, or home addresses
  • Demographic data (race, ethnicity, disability status, etc.)
  • Browsing history or web activity
  • Device location or hardware identifiers
  • Keystroke data outside the extension interface

FERPA & Compliance

Because all data is stored locally on the teacher's device and never transmitted to PrepPanel's servers:

  • No student data is disclosed to third parties.
  • No Data Processing Agreement is required for the core extension.
  • The extension functions equivalently to a local file (like a spreadsheet saved on the teacher's computer).
  • Teachers retain full control over their data at all times, including the ability to export or delete it.

Technical Summary for Review

Item Detail
Manifest Version3 (current standard)
Permissionsstorage, sidePanel
Content ScriptsNone
Host PermissionsNone
Data Storagechrome.storage.local (device only)
External RequestsAnonymous daily version check + optional WebRTC signaling for display sync and remote clicker
Analytics/TelemetryAnonymous version counter only (version number, no user identification, no student data)
Student AccountsNone
Third-Party SDKsNone

Contact

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This document is provided to assist school and district IT departments in evaluating PrepPanel for approval. Last updated: February 2026.