Connecticut HS athletics runs through CIAC under the CAS umbrella, with four enrollment-based classes (S/M/L/LL) and a parallel NEPSAC private-school recruiting circuit operating outside CIAC governance. Lightning for Schools is built for CIAC athletic directors: Connecticut Student Data Privacy Act-compliant student-data handling, Educational Software Hub-aligned vendor practices, and pricing with 10 included coach seats plus low-cost extras that does not penalize CT programs with full coaching staffs.

Built for CIAC

Governing Body

Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC)

Member-school eligibility rules, classification, and championship workflows shape what an athletic department needs from its software. Lightning for Schools is configured to support CIAC-aligned workflows out of the box — not generic NFHS templates that don't map to your state's specifics. Reference: www.casciac.org.

Compliant with Connecticut Student Data Privacy Act (§§10-234aa–10-234dd)

Student Data Privacy

Connecticut Student Data Privacy Act (§§10-234aa–10-234dd)

Connecticut General Statutes §§10-234aa through 10-234dd codify the Student Data Privacy Act of 2016 (revised by Public Act 17-200 and Public Act 18-125). The law applies whenever Connecticut public school districts use educational technology that captures or accesses student personal information; the Commission for Educational Technology operates the Connecticut Educational Software Hub where compliant vendors register their products by signing the CT Student Data Privacy Pledge. Lightning's data-handling practices are built to meet these requirements; a vendor that can't speak to your state's privacy framework should not be on your shortlist.

What Connecticut athletic directors actually deal with

CIAC sits inside CAS (Connecticut Association of Schools); ADs interact with both the CIAC athletic governance side and the broader CAS academic-policy side simultaneously. Operational policy changes can land via either body.
CIAC uses four enrollment-based classes (S, M, L, LL) — small/medium/large/extra-large — for state-tournament brackets. Football state finals run across multiple venues (CCSU Arute Field, Veterans Stadium / New Britain); basketball state finals are at Floyd Little Athletic Center in New Haven.
NEPSAC private boarding schools (Avon Old Farms, Choate, Loomis Chaffee, Taft, Hotchkiss, etc.) operate outside CIAC governance entirely and run parallel recruiting calendars — Ivy + D3 + select D1 recruiting attention flows through this private circuit. ADs at CIAC public programs adjacent to these schools navigate two recruiting worlds at once.
Connecticut Student Data Privacy Act (§§10-234aa–10-234dd) compliance is checked via the Connecticut Educational Software Hub registry — district procurement officers actively reference the Hub before approving athletic-department software contracts.

What Lightning for Schools includes

10 coach seats included

Flat $150/yr base includes 10 full coach seats. Need more for a big multi-sport department? Add extra seats anytime at 50% of the coach-tier price.

Roster + eligibility

Per-sport, per-season roster management with eligibility tracking, transfer documentation, and out-of-season practice limits.

Recruiting portal integration

Your student-athletes' Lightning profiles roll into a searchable college-coach portal — recruiting attention without leaving the AD platform.

DPA-compliant data handling

Aligned with Connecticut Student Data Privacy Act (§§10-234aa–10-234dd) requirements. Documentation available for your district's procurement review.

Stat verification

Coach Verified and Tournament Verified stats flow into the recruiting layer automatically. Reduces manual roster-update workload for AD staff.

Multi-season scheduling

Fall / winter / spring sport scheduling in one tool — facility allocation, transportation requests, official assignments.

Built for athletic departments across Connecticut

We're looking for our first partner departments in the state. If you're an AD in one of these areas and want to talk through a pilot:

Fairfield County Hartford metro New Haven metro Stamford / Greenwich corridor Litchfield County New London / Eastern CT

Lightning for Schools · CT

$150 / year

Base tier · 10 coach seats included · Connecticut Student Data Privacy Act (§§10-234aa–10-234dd) compliant

See full Lightning for Schools details →

Talk to Christian directly

I'm the founder. Connecticut athletic directors who want to talk through a pilot or just get specific questions answered can reach me directly: [email protected] or (443) 996-6563.