Terms of Service

Agreement to Terms

By accessing and using Skhoolar, you accept and agree to be bound by the terms and provision of this agreement. If you do not agree to abide by the above, please do not use this service.

Service Description

Skhoolar provides a comprehensive communication and management platform for international schools, including:

• Communication Tools: Multilingual messaging between schools, teachers, parents, and students
• Scheduling Systems: Parent-teacher conferences, school events, and activity signups
• Document Management: Secure sharing of educational materials and records
• Activity Management: Extracurricular program registration and management
• Integration Services: Connectivity with Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, and other educational tools

User Accounts and Responsibilities

Account Types

• School Administrators: Full access to school data and settings
• Teachers/Staff: Access to assigned classes and communication tools
• Parents/Guardians: Access to their children's information and communication
• Students: Limited access appropriate to age and school policy

Account Security

• You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials
• You must notify us immediately of any unauthorized use of your account
• You agree to accept responsibility for all activities that occur under your account
• Schools are responsible for managing user access and permissions

Appropriate Use

• Use Skhoolar only for legitimate educational purposes
• Respect the privacy and safety of all community members
• Do not share inappropriate content or engage in harassment
• Follow your school's acceptable use policies and code of conduct

Educational Data and Privacy

Data Ownership

• Schools retain ownership of all educational data entered into Skhoolar
• Parents maintain rights over their personal and family information
• Students have age-appropriate rights over their personal information
• Skhoolar acts as a data processor, not a data controller, for educational records

FERPA and GDPR Compliance

• We comply with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
• We comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
• Educational records are shared only with authorized school officials
• Parents have rights to access, correct, and control their children's data

Data Security

Subscription and Payment Terms

Subscription Plans

• Early Access: Free during beta period (current phase)
• School License: Annual subscription per school (post-launch)
• Multi-Campus: Enterprise pricing for school networks
• Non-Profit Discount: Special rates for qualifying educational institutions

Payment and Billing

• Subscriptions are billed annually in advance
• All fees are in USD unless otherwise specified
• Schools are responsible for all applicable taxes and fees
• Payment is due within 30 days of invoice date

Refund Policy

• Annual subscriptions may be cancelled within 30 days for full refund
• Pro-rated refunds available for service interruptions exceeding 48 hours
• No refunds for accounts terminated due to terms violations
• Schools may request refunds due to circumstances beyond their control

Content and Communications

User-Generated Content

• You retain ownership of content you create or upload
• You grant Skhoolar a license to host, display, and transmit your content
• You are responsible for ensuring you have rights to any content you share
• Schools may monitor and moderate content as per their policies

Prohibited Content

You may not post, share, or transmit content that:

• Violates any law or regulation
• Infringes on intellectual property rights
• Contains harmful malware or viruses
• Is threatening, abusive, or harassing
• Is inappropriate for an educational environment
• Contains personal information of minors (without proper authorization)

Translation Services

• Automated translations are provided for convenience and may contain errors
• Schools should verify important communications in multiple languages
• We are not liable for miscommunications due to translation errors
• Professional translation services are recommended for critical documents

Service Availability and Support

Uptime Commitment

• We strive for 99.5% uptime during business hours in your region
• Planned maintenance will be announced at least 48 hours in advance
• Emergency maintenance may be performed with minimal notice
• Service credits may be provided for extended outages

Technical Support

• School Administrators: Priority email and phone support
• Teachers/Staff: Email support and knowledge base access
• Parents/Students: Support through school administrator
• Response Time: 24-48 hours for non-emergency issues

Updates and Changes

• We regularly update Skhoolar with new features and improvements
• Major changes will be communicated in advance
• Schools can opt-out of non-essential feature updates
• Security updates will be applied automatically

Termination and Data Retention

Account Termination

• Schools may terminate their subscription with 30 days notice
• We may terminate accounts for violations of these terms
• Students graduate or transfer, their accounts are deactivated
• Individual users may be removed by school administrators

Data Export and Deletion

• Schools can export their data at any time in standard formats
• Upon termination, data will be retained for 90 days for recovery
• After 90 days, all data will be permanently deleted unless legally required
• Individual data deletion requests will be honored per GDPR/FERPA requirements

Intellectual Property

Skhoolar Property

• Skhoolar platform, software, and documentation are our intellectual property
• SchoolKit framework is open source under MIT license
• Trademarks and logos remain our property
• You may not reverse engineer or redistribute our proprietary software

User Content Rights

• You retain all rights to content you create
• Educational materials shared by teachers remain their intellectual property
• Schools own rights to their institutional data and communications
• We do not claim ownership of user-generated content

Liability and Warranties

Service Warranty

• We provide Skhoolar "as is" and "as available"
• We do not warrant that the service will be error-free or uninterrupted
• We disclaim all implied warranties to the extent permitted by law
• Your sole remedy for service issues is repair, replacement, or refund

Limitation of Liability

• Our liability is limited to the amount paid for the service
• We are not liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages
• Schools are responsible for their own data backup and recovery plans
• We are not liable for third-party integrations or services

Educational Institution Protections

• Nothing in these terms affects schools' sovereign immunity where applicable
• Educational institutions retain their statutory protections
• We work with schools to meet their specific legal requirements
• Custom terms may be negotiated for large educational networks

International Considerations

Global Service

• Skhoolar serves international schools in multiple countries
• We comply with applicable laws in jurisdictions where we operate
• Local data residency requirements are respected
• Regional data centers minimize cross-border transfers

Governing Law

• These terms are governed by Singapore law for Asian schools
• EU schools are governed by applicable EU member state law
• US schools are governed by the law of the state where the school is located
• Disputes will be resolved in the appropriate jurisdiction

Changes to Terms

• We may update these terms from time to time
• Material changes will be communicated at least 30 days in advance
• Continued use constitutes acceptance of updated terms
• Schools may terminate if they disagree with changes
• Version history is available upon request

Contact and Legal Information

Acknowledgment

By using Skhoolar, you acknowledge that you have read and understood these terms and agree to be bound by them. If you are using Skhoolar on behalf of a school or educational institution, you represent that you have the authority to bind that organization to these terms.