Global Futures Academy
Virtual Learning Policies

These Virtual Learning Policies apply to live online courses, workshops, meetings, presentations, and other virtual learning experiences offered by Global Futures Academy.

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They should be read together with the Global Futures Academy General Policies, Privacy Policy, Parent Enrollment Agreement, and any course-specific information provided during enrollment.

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Technology Requirements

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• Students need access to a laptop or desktop computer with a working camera and microphone, a reliable internet connection, and headphones or earbuds.

• A tablet may be used only when it supports the platforms, features, and activities required for the course. Some activities may not work fully on a tablet or mobile device.

• Families are responsible for ensuring that the student’s device, camera, microphone, headphones, internet connection, and required accounts are working before class begins.

• Families should test equipment, links, login details, and required software in advance.

• Global Futures Academy is not responsible for missed class time caused by a student’s device, internet connection, software, account access, or other technology problem.

• Individual make-up classes, refunds, or credits will not be provided because of technology problems experienced by the student or family.

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Email and Online Classroom Access

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• A valid parent or student email address may be required for course information, class links, materials, announcements, and access to any online classroom or learning platform.

• Parents and legal guardians are responsible for providing accurate contact information and checking messages regularly.

• Families are responsible for ensuring that messages from Global Futures Academy are not blocked or directed to a spam or junk folder.

• Login details, class links, access codes, recordings, and course materials may be used only by the registered student and their parent or legal guardian.

• Families may not share passwords, class links, recordings, access codes, or access to an online classroom or restricted course or family space with another person.

• Parents and legal guardians should notify Global Futures Academy promptly if they believe that account or class-access information has been lost, shared, or compromised.

• Access to course platforms, materials, recordings, or restricted spaces may end when the course or applicable access period ends.

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Who May Attend Live Classes

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• Only the student registered for the course may attend a live class unless Global Futures Academy gives prior permission.

• Parents, legal guardians, siblings, friends, and other individuals may not observe or participate in live classes unless their presence is required for a particular activity or has been approved by Global Futures Academy.

• A parent or responsible adult may remain nearby to assist with technology, safety, or an emergency but should remain off-camera and avoid interrupting the class unless assistance is needed.

• Global Futures Academy may invite a parent or legal guardian to attend a progress discussion, presentation, family session, planning meeting, or other activity when adult participation is appropriate.

• Families should make reasonable efforts to prevent people who are not enrolled in the course from appearing on camera, speaking during class, or viewing other students.

• A missed-class recording may be viewed only by the registered student and their parent or legal guardian.

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Parent or Responsible Adult Availability

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• A parent or responsible adult should be reasonably available during live classes in case the student needs help with technology, safety, or an emergency.

• Students are expected to participate independently unless the course description states that adult participation is required.

• The parent or responsible adult does not need to remain in the same room unless the student requires support or Global Futures Academy has requested it.

• Global Futures Academy may contact the parent or responsible adult during class if the student requires assistance or cannot continue participating safely or appropriately without support.

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Attendance and Punctuality

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• Global Futures Academy virtual courses are designed as live, interactive learning experiences.

• Families should enroll only when the student expects to be able to attend the scheduled classes live.

• Unless a different requirement is stated for a particular course, students are expected to attend at least 75% of scheduled classes live.

• When 75% does not result in a whole number, the required number of live classes will be rounded up to the next whole class.

• For an eight-session course, a student must therefore attend at least six sessions live.

• The live-attendance requirement reflects the discussion-based and collaborative nature of the program. Students learn through questions, conversation, activities, presentations, and interaction with the instructor and other students.

• Recordings and written materials may help a student catch up after an absence, but they do not replace the essential live component of the course.

• Students are expected to arrive on time and remain for the full session.

• Students who arrive late should join quietly and follow the instructor’s directions.

• Global Futures Academy is not required to repeat material missed because of lateness or absence.

• No individual make-up class, refund, credit, transfer, or tuition reduction will be provided because a student misses a class.

• If a student expects to miss a class, the parent or legal guardian should notify Global Futures Academy when reasonably possible.

• Disability-related requests affecting attendance will be considered individually under the Accessibility and Support Needs section of these policies.

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Missed Classes and Recording Access

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• A parent or legal guardian may request access to the recording of a class missed by the registered student.

• Recordings will not be provided automatically and must be requested.

• Recording access is available only for the number of absences permitted while the student continues to meet the minimum live-attendance requirement.

• For an eight-session course requiring at least 75% live attendance, recordings may be requested for no more than two missed classes.

• When a usable recording is available, access will normally remain available for 14 days from the date access is provided unless Global Futures Academy specifies a different access period.

• Recording access is intended to help a student catch up after an absence. It does not create an on-demand or asynchronous version of the course and does not replace regular live attendance.

• Access is limited to the registered student who missed the class and their parent or legal guardian.

• Recordings are for private educational use only.

• Recordings may not be downloaded, copied, photographed, screen-recorded, reproduced, shared, posted, distributed, published, sold, or shown to anyone other than the registered student and their parent or legal guardian.

• Global Futures Academy does not guarantee that every class will be recorded successfully or that a usable recording will be available in every circumstance.

• A recording may not include every activity, discussion, breakout room, or interactive element of the live class.

• Global Futures Academy may provide a written class roundup containing key points and links or suggestions for further reading, listening, or viewing.

• Individual reteaching, personalized post-class instruction, and one-to-one follow-up after a missed class are not included in tuition.

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Class Recording

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• Live classes may be recorded for authorized catch-up access, documenting course delivery, responding to concerns, and legitimate safety, insurance, legal, or recordkeeping purposes.

• Recordings may capture a student’s first name, image, voice, comments, questions, work, presentation, chat contributions, and participation.

• A parent or legal guardian must provide the required privacy and recording consent during enrollment.

• Consent to private class recording does not authorize Global Futures Academy to use a recording publicly or for promotional purposes.

• Families must protect the privacy of every student appearing in a recording and comply with the Family Privacy and Sharing Rules in the General Policies.

• Global Futures Academy’s collection, use, sharing, and retention of recordings is explained in the Privacy Policy.

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Cameras and Microphones

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• Students should join class with a working camera and microphone.

• Students are generally expected to keep their camera on so the instructor can support participation, communication, and class safety.

• A student may be permitted to turn their camera off briefly because of a temporary technology issue, private interruption, short break, or another reasonable need approved by the instructor.

• A parent or legal guardian should contact Global Futures Academy before class if the student has an ongoing reason that may prevent regular camera use.

• Students should mute their microphone when asked and unmute when invited to speak.

• Students may not use virtual backgrounds, filters, sound effects, screen annotations, chat features, or other platform tools in a way that distracts from the class or interferes with another student’s participation.

• Global Futures Academy may turn off a student’s camera, microphone, chat access, screen-sharing ability, or another platform feature when reasonably necessary to manage the class.

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Learning Environment

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• Students should participate from a reasonably quiet, safe, and appropriate location.

• The student should be seated in a position that allows them to see, hear, and participate in the class.

• Students should have any requested materials ready before class begins.

• Eating is not permitted during class. However, students are encouraged to stay hydrated by drinking water.

• Students should not attend class while walking through public places, riding in a moving vehicle, or participating in another activity that prevents safe and focused participation.

• Families should make reasonable efforts to avoid displaying private, sensitive, offensive, or distracting information in the student’s background.

• Students should wear clothing appropriate for a learning environment.

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Student Participation

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• Students are expected to listen, contribute, ask questions, complete activities, and participate respectfully at a level appropriate to their age and ability.

• Participation may include speaking, using chat, responding to polls, working in breakout rooms, contributing to shared documents, sharing work, completing activities, or giving presentations.

• Students should use their first name or another name approved by their parent or legal guardian and Global Futures Academy.

• Students may not impersonate another person or use a misleading, offensive, or disruptive display name, profile image, background, or account.

• Students may be asked to complete research, reflection, reading, project preparation, or other work outside scheduled class time.

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Online Conduct

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• Students must communicate respectfully with the instructor and other students.

• Students may not engage in bullying, harassment, discrimination, threats, deliberate disruption, offensive language, inappropriate gestures, or unsafe behavior.

• Students may not share inappropriate, harmful, violent, discriminatory, sexual, or otherwise unsuitable content.

• Students and families may not take screenshots, photographs, video recordings, audio recordings, or screen recordings of a class, another student, the instructor, or course content unless Global Futures Academy has expressly permitted it.

• Students may not privately contact another student through a class platform unless the activity is authorized and appropriately supervised.

• Students may not share another student’s name, image, voice, work, comments, contact information, or private details outside the setting in which the information was appropriately shared.

• Global Futures Academy may remove a student from a live class immediately if their conduct is unsafe, seriously disruptive, or harmful to others.

• Repeated or serious violations may result in restricted access or termination of enrollment under the General Policies.

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Chat, Breakout Rooms, and Collaborative Activities

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• Students may be invited to use chat, breakout rooms, shared documents, polls, discussion boards, or other collaborative tools.

• These tools must be used only for course-related purposes.

• Global Futures Academy may monitor, limit, disable, review, or retain content submitted through course platforms when reasonably necessary to operate the course, respond to concerns, or protect participants.

• Students must follow the instructor’s directions when entering, leaving, or participating in breakout rooms.

• Breakout rooms may be supervised directly, visited periodically, or monitored through available platform features.

• Students should report inappropriate or uncomfortable behavior to the instructor or their parent or legal guardian promptly.

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Privacy in Live Classes and Online Spaces

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• Live virtual classes and online learning spaces are shared educational environments.

• Other registered students may see or hear a student’s first name, image, voice, comments, questions, work, presentations, and participation.

• Students should not share private information such as their last name, home address, personal telephone number, passwords, private email address, school location, or other unnecessary sensitive information.

• Families must comply with the Family Privacy and Sharing Rules in the General Policies.

• Suspected unauthorized access, recording, sharing, or another privacy concern should be reported to Global Futures Academy promptly.

• Global Futures Academy’s privacy practices are explained in the Global Futures Academy Privacy Policy.

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Course Materials and Digital Content

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• Digital course materials are provided only for the personal educational use of the registered student and family.

• Course materials may not be copied, uploaded, republished, taught, sold, distributed, or shared with another person without prior written permission.

• Students may download or print materials only when Global Futures Academy has made that option available.

• Access to course platforms, resources, or materials may end when the course or access period ends.

• Families are responsible for downloading any permitted materials before access expires.

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Instructor or Platform Disruptions

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• If Global Futures Academy experiences a technology or platform problem that materially prevents a class from taking place, it may provide:

  • a rescheduled class;

  • a replacement session;

  • an alternative activity;

  • a recording; or

  • another reasonable remedy.

• A rescheduled class may take place on a different day or at a different time from the regular class schedule.

• A brief interruption, delayed start, or temporary platform problem does not automatically require a full replacement class.

• Cancellations and rescheduling will be handled under the General Policies.

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Safety and Emergencies

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• Global Futures Academy does not provide in-person supervision during virtual classes.

• Parents and legal guardians remain responsible for the student’s physical safety and well-being in the location from which the student participates.

• Students should not use unsafe materials, tools, equipment, or physical activities unless specifically instructed and appropriately supervised by a parent or responsible adult.

• If a student appears to be in immediate danger or experiencing an emergency, Global Futures Academy may attempt to contact the parent or legal guardian or contact emergency services when reasonably necessary.

• Parents and legal guardians are responsible for ensuring that current contact information is available.

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Accessibility and Support Needs

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• Parents and legal guardians should contact Global Futures Academy before registration or as early as possible if a student requires a disability-related accommodation or other support to participate.

• Requests will be considered individually under the Global Futures Academy General Policies.

• Reasonable supports may include:

  • written instructions;

  • additional processing time;

  • participation through chat;

  • short breaks;

  • brief flexibility with camera use;

  • captions when available; or

  • allowing a parent or responsible adult to remain nearby.

• Accommodations are intended to help the student access the same live, small-group course offered to other students.

• Global Futures Academy does not provide one-to-one teaching, individualized after-class instruction, therapeutic or medical services, a personal aide, or a separate asynchronous version of the course unless expressly stated.

• Requests to modify the live-attendance requirement will be considered individually. Live attendance may remain an essential feature of the course.

• A parent or responsible adult may be asked to remain nearby or provide additional support when reasonably necessary for the student to participate safely and successfully.

• Despite reasonable efforts, Global Futures Academy may not be able to accommodate every need within the structure, staffing, technology, resources, and scope of the program. If Global Futures Academy determines that it cannot reasonably support a student’s safe, meaningful, and successful participation, it may decline or end enrollment under the General Policies.

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Policy Violations

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• Global Futures Academy may limit, suspend, or remove a student’s access to a live class, recording, online classroom, restricted family space, or course resource when the student or family violates these policies.

• Depending on the circumstances, Global Futures Academy may issue a warning, contact the parent or legal guardian, require additional supervision, impose participation conditions, or end enrollment.

• Serious safety, privacy, recording, access-sharing, or conduct violations may result in immediate action without prior warning.

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Acceptance

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Registration and enrollment confirm that the parent or legal guardian has received or been given access to these Virtual Learning Policies and agrees to follow them. The required privacy and recording consent is obtained separately through the Global Futures Academy Parent Enrollment Agreement. Electronic acceptance, including checking an agreement box or signing an electronic form, will be treated as acceptance of these policies.

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Contact

Questions about these policies may be sent to:

Global Futures Academy
Operated by Thrivers Lane LLC

Email: operations [at] globalfutures.academy 
Website: globalfutures.academy