Our foremost concern is learner safety, and we address this in several ways, as outlined in our safety policy. This article outlines your responsibilities for safety as a teacher on Outschool.

Regardless of your teaching topic or the age group you are working with, you are responsible for creating a safe online classroom environment. For this reason, teachers must teach all live classes on Zoom through the Outschool platform; classes should never be held using a personal Zoom code or other conferencing sites.

While parents (or legal guardians) are responsible for supervising their kids, we expect that you teach your classes in a way that encourages physical safety, mental well-being, and online privacy for all students. Poor judgment on safety and privacy can result in teacher restriction and removal.

In summary, do not allow unknown individuals, unregistered persons, or adult learners to enter the class. This jeopardizes the safety of your classroom. Never share the names of other learners or their parents/ legally authorized guardians when attempting to verify, as this information could be used to spoof admission into the classroom.

Finally, all learners must be children between the ages of 3 and 18, unless Outschool has specifically granted them permission to participate. Any adults attempting to attend class as students or who contact you through the Outschool platform should be reported to Trust & Safety immediately.

Parents can listen to the class from a “reasonable distance” (generally off-camera, except for tech help or extenuating family circumstances) or watch the recording later. Parents should be mindful that their learner is a participant and, as such, is not actively engaged in the classroom as a student themselves.

Remember, it is against Outschool’s policies for a parent to listen in or watch a class from a separate device. Teachers should not allow a second device login and should exercise caution when admitting a second device from a single learner.

If a safety-related incident occurs during one of your classes or you notice suspicious activity, please get in touch with Outschool Safety immediately at safety@outschool.com.
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Please note that Outschool Trust and Safety will never attempt to "check-in" from the waiting room. If Outschool staff need to enter your classroom due to an emergency, we have overall administrative privileges to access your class directly (although we will always announce our presence to you when we arrive). Never admit someone from the waiting room who claims or pretends to be Outschool staff; report those situations immediately to Outschool.

All learners must be visually checked into class on camera (or with a green check) in each and every class. However, some learners may turn their cameras off once they are checked in. Although Outschool does not require cameras to be on past check-in, we encourage all learners to engage with their teachers and classmates by enabling their video for a quality experience. While many learners may feel more comfortable with their cameras off, Outschool allows teachers to make classroom rules. In some instances, teachers may require cameras to be enabled (for example, for academic needs, teacher preferences, or safety purposes). If a teacher wishes to implement a mandatory camera policy for a specific class, it must be clearly stated in the class description and welcome message. If a teacher's camera preference mandate is not explicitly stated in a class description, learners may turn off their cameras once they have checked into class.

If your lesson requires learners to use materials that could be potentially dangerous, such as sharp objects in a cooking class, ensure you designate time at the beginning of class to discuss the proper way to use and handle these materials. If your class involves a discussion on a topic, such as how to cope with anxiety, that may trigger more serious emotional responses, you should first make sure that your learners are equipped with the proper skill set to participate in these conversations. To set the right expectations for prospective parents / legal guardians, you should also include this specific information or warning in the parental guidance section of the class listing.

For teachers offering classes on any sensitive topic, as defined in our class content policy, you should take extra measures to ensure your learners ' safety. Outschool has a zero-tolerance policy for hate speech, displays of threatening behavior with weapons, or the use of alcohol/restricted drugs/tobacco products by teachers or learners during an Outschool class. Alcohol, tobacco, drugs of any kind, firearms, and pornographic materials should never be used or promoted in a classroom and are subject to immediate removal from the platform. Even discussions of such topics, as well as the approved use of knives (such as in a cooking class) or chemicals (such as in a science class), mature reading materials, or sensitive discussion topics, should be fully disclosed in the parental guidance section of a class description. We also encourage you to take the time to anticipate potential issues that may arise proactively. This could range from emotionally complex topics that you might discuss as part of the lesson to follow-up questions that your learners may have.

Counseling is not allowed on Outschool. To ensure learner safety, discussions related to personal mental health issues - like depression, suicide, or abuse - are not permitted on our platform. If a learner initiates a conversation about a sensitive topic, please gently explain that Outschool classes are inappropriate for these discussions and redirect your learners to a new topic. You should also follow up with parents or legal guardians as needed. If you believe the matter requires further attention, please email safety@outschool.com so our team can document the incident and provide guidance on how to manage the situation.
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You may encounter situations where a learner’s behavior merits special attention as a teacher. Perhaps it’s a learner who appears to be a bully (or be bullied), misbehaves, or suggests trouble at home. It’s your responsibility to address learner behavior as part of classroom management and to ensure a safe and welcoming environment for all learners.

If a learner is being disruptive and unable to adhere to the Learner Code of Conduct, we recommend the following:

Remember, a teacher should only withdraw a learner with guidance from the appropriate Outschool team. Outschool always asks that you first address the problem with the parent in writing. Once this has happened, you can contact the support team to talk about and document the situation, explaining the measures you've already taken to mitigate the problem with the learner and their parents.

Please share any concerning incidents with Outschool support so we can work with you to resolve them. This may involve asking you to contact the learner’s parents or legal guardians again and advising you on the next steps to take.

Outschool cares about the safety and well-being of its minor learners, so all teachers and staff must notify Outschool Trust & Safety about any dangerous or life-threatening situations involving a child's immediate well-being, such as a medical emergency on camera, a fire at home, a household intruder, a dog attack, or a child alone in a hot car, etc.. If you believe a learner may be in immediate physical danger, encourage them to call 911 and notify our safety team.
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Other, more sensitive instances of dangerous situations may include when an instructor sees evidence of or hears a learner describe abuse or neglect. All Outschool teachers are considered mandatory reporters and may be required to share their concerns with law enforcement or social service agencies as needed; in such cases, teachers should reach out immediately to Outschool Trust & Safety to discuss the next steps in the reporting process.

Likewise, Outschool asks that its teachers also inform our Trust & Safety team about any learner talk involving self-harm, suicidal ideation, dangerous behaviors, or acts of aggression/violence towards others.

In these cases, timeliness is critical in protecting a child. While Outschool itself is a voluntary reporter, it requires all teachers to report concerns about what they witnessed to our safety team (safetyemergency@outschool.com) immediately, so that proper intervention can be made. Depending on your geographic location, a teacher may also be required to report abuse or neglect to their local authorities or child protective services. While abuse or neglect can be hard to define, you should immediately report any time a learner expresses that they believe they are in danger or describes having experienced something more than acceptable physical discipline.

For additional information regarding what may constitute abuse or neglect, please refer to https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/can/defining/.

For additional information on differentiating abuse and discipline, please refer to https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/can/defining/disc-abuse/#discipline.

Please visit the mandated reporter site for U.S. teachers to determine if you are required to comply with your state's mandatory reporting requirements.

For our teachers abroad, please be mindful that your jurisdictions, including Australia, Canada, and Southeast Asia, may also have mandatory reporting laws that apply to you when working with Outschool.
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Because of the unique nature of online learning, you must report a situation to Outschool Trust & Safety, who will then help determine what action, if any, needs to be taken and by whom. While it may seem challenging to report a "virtual-learner" issue, the Trust & Safety team will work with you to evaluate the situation and gather necessary details and information to assist you as you fulfill your reporting duty; together, we will work through the best way to address the problem and share essential information that will be needed for intervention.

As an Outschool teacher, you are also responsible for maintaining learner privacy on and offline by keeping your account private and secure.

Teachers' electronics should be secured, and all information about learners (or links to classrooms) should be guarded. Teachers should not share passwords to their Outschool account with anyone. If a teacher has children on their account, they should set up learner logins so that the teacher’s children can sign in directly to their learner accounts. Your teaching account or information about learners (or their families) should never be accessed by anyone other than you. Individual teachers are not permitted to share any account or learner information with family members, friends, or virtual assistants to ensure privacy protection. As a teacher, you are responsible for the security of your account and should follow best practices in setting up passwords and regularly monitoring your account for any irregularities. If you suspect that your account may have been compromised in any way, please reset your password and contact support@outschool.com. Failure to report issues promptly may result in a temporary suspension or a hold on payments, so it is essential to report problems immediately.

Virtual assistants (VAs) are only permitted at Outschool for Organizations as outlined in contracts. Anyone other than an approved VA or an organization's teacher or approved admin owner is prohibited from accessing an ORG account. Before being granted access to the account, all Virtual assistants/individuals must be thoroughly vetted and approved as "teachers" (having fully passed all background checks and IDV, and completed training). Failure to follow this protocol could result in restriction or removal from the platform.

A teacher should never reveal or encourage learners to reveal personal information about an individual or a learner’s family. Personal information can include, but is not limited to, a learner’s full name, birthdate, personal email address, address, phone number, social media accounts, or gamer handles. Asking learners to share their location at the country or state level is acceptable, provided you offer them the option not to share if they prefer not to.

In addition to not sharing personal information about your learners, you should also refrain from sharing private information about your classes outside the platform and avoid combining classes at Outschool with those on another forum. This includes student voices (audio), using students' first or last names, or showing student faces. For example, you shouldn’t share names, photos, or videos of you interacting with your learners on your social media pages or other media.

If you want to share any completed learner work, such as a learner essay or art project, you must first obtain permission from your parent / legal guardian and realize they may choose to rescind permissions at any time. Outschool learners’ identities should be protected and never shared or mentioned outside of those Outschool classes.

Since classes are recorded, protecting learner privacy on the screen is also essential. You may never download, upload, or store video of your class for any reason. You may only share videos with families in the class (or in an Organization, your staff, teachers, or approved administrators). While the release of class videos is always at a teacher’s discretion, please be mindful of releasing them to unverified learners. If you have any verification questions, please contact support@outschool.com for assistance.

In cases where learners have revealed personal information or otherwise breached their privacy on camera (examples: exposure or sharing of Personal Information by wearing a school logo or providing their date of birth), you should turn off their camera or mute it so that other learners do not capture it. You can then send the learner a private chat through Zoom to let them know what was "caught on camera" without disrupting the class further. For more information on how to do this, please visit our Zoom Features for Teachers article. After class, please hide the video for privacy reasons as needed. Then, please contact the parent or legal guardian of the learner in question and notify support so that our Trust & Safety Team can remove the video. In cases where learner privacy is compromised, Outschool may delete a recording.

You must keep all communication on Outschool. That means never sharing your personal contact information with parents, legal guardians, or learners.
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In addition to maintaining all communications on our platform, Outschool prohibits teachers and parents or families from meeting in person, except at Outschool-sponsored events.
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Learners may want to stay in touch with their classmates after their classes end and may request to exchange contact information via Zoom chat or the Classroom page. Parents must always be aware of this and grant the necessary permissions. If learners ask to stay in touch after class, please inform them that their parents or legal guardians can message each other directly from the enrolled view on the Classroom page. They can see how to do so by reading our help center article How to use Outschool. We ask that parents / legal guardians initiate those communications rather than learners to protect learner privacy and to ensure they have a safe experience with parental consent. If not, you can always contact support@outschool.com for help with these requests.

If you need specific contact information to send supplies or kits, or to help learners with recommendations, please read the following article about sharing information for Educational purposes and follow the protocols outlined. Teachers may be allowed to share some personal details in those specific circumstances (for educational purposes only) if done in context, as evidenced by an on-platform conversation with parents. Other exceptions may be made to support@outschool.com on a case-by-case basis for consideration by the Trust & Safety Team.
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To safeguard children and maintain their privacy in group classes, parents are asked to stay off-camera and refrain from actively participating in classes. If a parent or sibling disrupts class, teachers may turn off and/or mute the learner's camera and privately message the family. Most discussions between parents and teachers should be conducted through the Parent Conversation Tab.
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However, privately, in 1-on-1 tutoring classes, parents (always at a teacher's discretion) may "meet" with a teacher to discuss their learner's logistical needs, progress, and educational plans. Outschool reminds educators and parents that these discussions must be child-centered and that sessions are recorded for safety purposes. To maintain privacy and professional boundaries, no personal information should be shared. Adherence to all Outschool safety and privacy policies is expected; any violations of these protocols will be strictly enforced.

Prizes, Contests, and Gift-Giving to Learners: Some educators like to offer prizes to learners after a game or event in class. Monetary prizes and off-platform gift cards (such as for Amazon or Target) should never be given to Outschool families. Instead, teachers can issue a coupon towards a class or purchase an Outschool gift card, send it to their own email, and then provide the redemption code to the family. Any gift should be given to the parent in the context of the "Parent Conversation Tab" so that the parent has a transparent understanding and complete knowledge of that interaction. Sending the gift card this way prevents the sharing of personally identifiable information (PII) and also prevents any perception of an improper relationship.
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​Gifts to Teachers: Occasionally, during holidays and at the end of the school year, families want to express their appreciation to teachers with thoughtful gifts. Monies or financial compensation are never permitted, and teachers should not share their email addresses with their families. However, in instances where families want to give a gift card to a teacher, the parent can upload a picture of the front and back of the gift card code through the Parent Conversations Tab. Similarly, if a family offers to send a special gift through a postal service, the teacher may choose to share their mailing address with the parent through the Parent Conversations Tab. Additionally, if initiated by a family, a teacher may also share a registry "wish list" from sites like Amazon or Etsy, where gifts are sent anonymously to an individual teacher to protect their privacy boundaries. Gift-giving by a family can be made without Outschool permission as long as the parent initiates the conversation and the teacher feels comfortable. All discussions should be transparent and viewable in context with the parent through the Parent Conversations Tab (never a minor learner). Gifting outside those parameters is not allowed without permission from support. Outschool does not facilitate or track the delivery of gifts, and families are responsible for any shipping or fulfillment. Teachers should not ask for or solicit gifts, in line with professional boundaries and Outschool’s community standards.

Outschool reminds its teachers to continue to Keep All Communication on Outschool and follow all Safety Policy Guidelines for Teachers. Violations of these policies can result in STRIKES or removal from the Outschool Platform.
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Outschool is proud to offer classes that allow learners to connect on their favorite gaming platforms. Private servers are essential for teachers to help keep our learners safe while they enjoy their online gameplay, and gamer tags may be necessary to join these private servers. Gameplay is not to be held on public servers. Because gamer tags qualify as personal information, we request that our educators adhere to our guidance when collecting this information from learners. Here are the best practices that we ask our educators to use when eliciting personal data from learners:

Your private servers can only be opened during class time. Never leave learners alone or unsupervised in a server. Educators who open their servers to learners outside of class hours may be subject to immediate suspension.

Teachers should never send Zoom links to parents or learners, regardless of whether it is via Outschool messaging (neither the Conversations tab nor the Learners tab in the classroom), as all class meetings should begin with the green "Start Live Meeting" button from the teacher’s end for safety reasons. Sending Zoom links via Outschool messaging, even to help a learner access a class, violates Outschool policy and could result in removal from the Outschool platform.

When selecting other third-party tools to support your class, consider their approach to learner privacy and safety. If you would like to use another site that requires signing up for a new account, please first complete the sign-up process yourself to determine if that site has any age restrictions. If there is a minimum age requirement, do not encourage learners to lie about their age, as this is a form of deception that could result in removal. You should instead be able to disclose this in the parental guidance section of your class listing and explain that parents or legal guardians themselves will need to create an account for their learners. Please also check what third-party tools are available to learners, primarily if your class is geared toward learners under 13.

We only allow substitute teachers if you teach with an organization on Outschool. Otherwise, we do not allow substitutes of any kind, regardless of whether the individual is an approved Outschool educator. We understand that unexpected emergencies or illnesses may occasionally arise at the last minute, preventing you from teaching your class. When this happens, you should cancel the meeting and communicate with the parents / legal guardians to arrange a make-up session or issue a refund. The Outschool support team is happy to help when things happen.

If you would like to bring a guest speaker to help enhance your lesson, you are welcome to do so! For security reasons, only one guest speaker is permitted per class meeting, and all guests must be adults known to the educator. This individual does not need to be an approved Outschool teacher, but we require that you, as the instructor, are present at all times and that parents / legal guardians are notified of the guest beforehand. If you’re unsure about a specific situation, please get in touch with our support team so we can assist you in navigating it. After the guest speaker has attended class, you must contact safety@outschool.com so that any Zoom links can be immediately reset to safeguard your classroom.

As a final reminder, all learners must be children between the ages of 3-18, and any adults trying to attend class as students and/or who contact you through the Outschool platform should immediately be reported to Trust & Safety (safety@outschool.com) after you utilize the Block Learner button from the learner's Manage Enrollment pop-up.

To avoid dangerous situations escalating, if an adult intruder enters your classroom with any malicious intent by posing as a child during check-in, please remove them and immediately block that individual. Please immediately email our emergency address with the following details: section link, time, and a brief description of what happened. This button will immediately block the learner in question from all classrooms and prevent them from sending emails within the Outschool system, so please use it only in cases involving adults. Misuse of this button can result in account restrictions or even a STRIKE.

To maintain the integrity of Outschool’s messaging system, teachers can block outside senders suspected of being “spammers” or sending innocuous solicitations. This feature is intended solely to hide unwanted mass emails from a teacher’s inbox and should not be used to prevent active learner families from enrolling in a class. Intentional abuse of this feature to control enrollment by teachers may result in a warning. As always, teachers should report any more serious concerns, such as suspicious behavior, harassment, or fraud, sent to them through our messaging system to safety@outschool.com.

Teachers can mark messages as spam to remove them from their Conversations inbox. Open the message and click the warning icon at the top right to mark it as spam. You'll stop receiving messages from the sender, and Trust & Safety will review their account.

If you start the conversation thread with the sender, you won't be able to mark their message as spam.

If you incorrectly mark a sender's message as spam, you can unmark it. From the Spam messages view, select the message and click the warning icon. Their message will be returned to your main conversations inbox so that you can receive their messages again.

Outschool Trust & Safety Team works to keep our learners, families, educators, staff, and platform assets safe. A dedicated team of professionals is available to help you with your worries. For most questions, our online chat can direct you to helpful articles and resources.

If you are still seeking answers, you will be directed to an agent who will assist in routing your ticket correctly; this is the fastest and most efficient way to reach a team member. If you’d prefer email, please visit Outschool Support's contact information page here.

If you have questions about routine safety issues, you can contact support@outschool.com. These will be triaged and answered within 2-3 business days. Sending direct messages to Safety that are not safety-related could result in your ticket being misrouted and delayed. Therefore, always send non-safety-related issues to support@outschool.com.

Our Emergency Safety email should be used to report life-threatening or dangerous situations (those involving the immediate physical safety or well-being of a child or teacher in a classroom). Remember, this is like a fire alarm; therefore, other non-emergency situations should be directed to Outschool Support instead. Abuse of this email could result in a warning or even removal from the platform.

As a reminder, SafetyEmergency@outschool.com should only be used in cases needing more immediate and time-sensitive intervention, such as self-harm, abuse, suicidal ideation, stalking, credible threats to harm others, witness of drug abuse/alcohol, child home alone, child with a dangerous weapon that could injure, action needed for a life-threatening medical emergency, etc.

Parents and learners also have a role to play in learner privacy and safety. See this article for resources that provide more education on this topic:

Learner Safety and Privacy: For Parents