Data policy

Data policy

Last updated May 25, 2026.

This page explains how we handle the public data shown on this site. For the live list of sources and their current status, see Sources & methodology.

How we collect data

• We collect only public information from official government and civic websites, document libraries, and open-data services.
• Our collector identifies itself with a contact address, obeys each site's robots.txt, and waits at least three seconds between requests to the same host so we never burden a source.
• Where a host's robots.txt disallows automated access, we honor it and simply link to that source instead.

How often it updates

The collector runs once a day. Each source carries its own "last updated" timestamp, shown on the source status table, so you can see how fresh each section is. If a source falls behind, the site shows a freshness warning.

How we process it

• Cleaning: text is normalized so it reads cleanly (encoding fixed, stray characters removed, spacing normalized).
• Deduplication: repeated items are merged so you don't see the same document or story twice.
• Summarizing: news snippets are lightly tidied. School finance summaries are built from verified extracted facts. Optional OpenAI summarization runs server-side only and does not replace source citations.

How we verify accuracy

• Every record is checked against a strict data schema before it's published.
• Budget figures are sanity-checked; implausible values are dropped rather than displayed.
• A weekly link checker flags documents whose links have gone dead.
• When we cannot reliably read a figure from a source, we link to the original document instead of publishing an unverified number.

What we do not do

• We do not collect or store private individuals' names from public records. Public officials acting in their official capacity may be named where the source identifies them.
• We do not track residents, profile visitors, or run analytics.
• We do not sell, rent, or share data with third parties.

Requesting a correction

If something is wrong, outdated, or should be removed, email [email protected] with a link to the item. We aim to review correction requests within about five business days, though we can't guarantee a timeline.

A note on Right-to-Know

This is a private site and is not subject to Pennsylvania's Right-to-Know Law (RTKL). To request official records from a government body directly, use that body's RTKL process — for example, the City of Coatesville or the Coatesville Area School District.