💥 Students should prepare the following items before the start of class:

 🚫 A textbook is not needed for this class. All materials will be provided within each assignment.

🎨 1. Canva Accounts: Teens are required to create free Canva accounts to design virtual posters (.jpg) and online slideshows (.mp4), download them to their computers, and then upload them to the classroom as attachments. Parents may need to help their students in setting up Canva accounts and guide them on different ways to create slideshows, presentations, and photo collages. Creating a Canva account is easy using this link: https://www.canva.com/. Parents may also need to assist their learners in creating their Canvas Classroom account.

🎮 2. Kahoot Game: In almost every live meeting, we play a Kahoot game for a fun review. Students should open a separate web browser on their laptop, iPad, or mobile phone, navigate to "kahoot.it," and participate in the quiz together during the live meeting. An account is not needed for Kahoot.

🔔 It is crucial that students familiarize themselves with these materials before the class begins.

🚀 Note: A very important announcement, including information that your teen will need, will be posted the day before our first live meeting in our Outschool classroom. Your teen must read this and complete the items listed in the post to prepare for the first live meeting. This includes downloading the PDF of the textbook, creating their free Canva account, learning how to use Canva, understanding the class rules, and more. Parents will also receive a letter from me on the same day via private message.

In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
YouTube
Adobe Spark
GLSEN
ONE Archives Foundation
Human Rights Campaign
AIDS Healthcare Foundation
The urgency of intersectionality TED talk
Human Rights Campaign: Frequently Asked Questions About HIV
Avert: Global information and education on HIV and AIDS plus safe sex
Canvas

👉 High school students enrolled in this class must possess a certain level of maturity, an open mind, and a strong desire to learn. The content of the course includes adult themes, as it draws from a college-level subject, adapted to suit upper high school levels.

👉 Topics covered encompass gender, sexual expression, transgender issues, sexology, LGBTQ+ identities including gays, lesbians, bisexuals, pansexuals, intersex individuals, those questioning their identity, queer individuals, asexuals (ace), and biromantic individuals. Additionally, the curriculum addresses subjects such as gay marriage, drag queens, drag kings, bullying, the justice system, equal rights movements, racial issues, activism, historical riots, safe-sex practices, HIV, and other pertinent matters related to the LGBTQ+ community. The course may include visual materials like images of historical artworks and related content to aid in studying LGBTQ+ history, protests, riots, violence, and other relevant materials. Please note that to the best of my knowledge, this course is not accredited by any educational board, except possibly for homeschool or private/charter school credit.

⚠️ CONTENT WARNING
During Week 5, the discussion delves into HIV, AIDS, and the significant deaths in the 1980s, exploring the activism necessary for the LGBTQ+ community to gain access to HIV treatment amidst the inadequate response from the USA Federal Government. This segment serves as a pivotal aspect of LGBTQ+ history as the epidemic initially emerged within this community, unveiling the government's lacking response at the time. The course educates students on protecting themselves from HIV through safe sexual practices, using resources from the AIDS Healthcare Foundation & Avert (refer to the "Sources" section of the class listing for detailed information). If you prefer your student not to participate in Week 5 assignments or live meetings, skipping the week is entirely acceptable, with the option to rejoin in Week 6. Flexibility and understanding are priorities.

👉 This class warmly welcomes all students, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, or sexual identity. Mutual respect among students is vital, and any form of hate speech will not be tolerated, as this class aims to provide a safe space for all participants.

💰 Regarding Tuition:

I understand that the tuition structure can sometimes be a bit confusing. Your tuition covers not only the weekly live video meetings but also includes the weekly assignments, projects, and quizzes conducted in our virtual classroom by your student. Additionally, it covers my weekly lesson planning, homework grading, research, active participation in assignments, projects, and quizzes, along with providing valuable feedback, additional content, guidance, and thought-provoking questions for your student's submitted work. I'm also committed to responding to both student and parent private messages within 36 hours, offering private guidance and assistance to students, and facilitating private, one-on-one live video meetings if requested by either students or parents. Rest assured that I'm personally engaged in the classroom, working tirelessly to support your child's educational journey seven days a week throughout the entire course. In essence, the weekly "$18 per Class per Learner" displayed below the total tuition on the class listing truly translates to "$18 per Week per Learner" in my class. It's important to note that Outschool retains 30% of the total tuition to cover their operational costs. I'm sorry, but I do not permit requests for a transfer to another date and time for this class. The only circumstance under which I could consider an exception would be if there were a tragic event affecting your learner or your family and not after the first week.

If you have any questions or concerns about any aspect of our learning environment, please don't hesitate to reach out. Your child's education and safety are of the utmost importance to me.

🧑‍🏫 MY CLASS RULES:

1. Do not change your Zoom name; it must match your Outschool profile for safety. I am restricted from letting you into a live meeting if your Zoom name does not match your name on Outschool.

2. Keep your camera on unless pre-approved by Outschool Support. No Zoom backgrounds for safety.

3. Mute your microphone unless asking a question, answering a question, or giving a comment. Please raise your hand to be called upon.

4. Parents, do not appear on camera or speak during the class. This is an important Outschool safety policy. Please message me through the Outschool Parent Account for help.

5. I am always available via PM 7 days a week. I respond the same day or the very next morning. However, I am unable to respond to PM’s within 45 minutes of a live meeting or during a live meeting. I am here to answer questions, give more guidance, and help you out almost all of the time. I can also make accommodations for each student as wanted or needed. I am very flexible, kind, and understanding. Just reach out to me and let me know what’s up and we can talk about making changes for you.

6. Everyone must respect each other. Educated opinions are allowed and every student has a voice in my class. Any bullying, name-calling, or heated debates are not allowed in my class or in the live meetings. Healthy debates, educated opinions, discussions, questions, tolerance, respect, compassion, understanding, civil discourse, active listening, and kindness are the pillars and rules of my classes.

7. Use only unbiased sources for information. Be prepared to take notes every week from the textbook, weekly lesson videos, and other sources such as when doing your own research. These notes are to help you to remember what new knowledge, interesting facts, and things you want to discuss in our weekly live meetings.

8. If you’re going to be late to, or miss a, live meeting you must send me a private message as soon as possible and explain why, please.

9. All assignments must be turned in on time. If you think you will be late completing any assignments please send me a PM. If you turn in an assignment one day late past the due date and have not sent me a message explaining why, 10 points will be deducted. An assignment will not be accepted after that. While I am flexible and kind about due dates you must communicate with me so that we can make changes for you.

10. The use of ChatGPT Open AI or any other artificial intelligence programs is strictly PROHIBITED! You MUST use the videos, textbook, and any internet research by using your own words in all homework! 

11. Check the main classroom for the weekly announcements, important updates, and notices at least twice per week. Additionally, check for private messages from me to you and respond back promptly at least twice per week. Students use the Teacher tab in their learner account to send PM’s and parents must use the Messages tab in their parent accounts to send or reply to PM’s.

12. All students, parents, and I must follow all of Outschool's Code of Conduct policies at all times.

🏫 FROM OUTSCHOOL...

We stand with learners. We are all learners. 

At Outschool, we commit to standing with all learners by fostering a diverse and multicultural community, where differences are honored, welcomed, and accepted. With education as the catalyst and technology as the tool, we are uniquely positioned to connect learners to experiences that broaden their understanding of themselves and the world around them through our collective love for learning.  

At Outschool, we strive to be OUTstanding by fostering a global online community, elevating unique voices, and transforming the way we work and learn.

At Outschool, we are all learners. We are curious and continuously interrogate the inequities created by systemic oppression on education and learning. We have the opportunity to evolve education by creating a marketplace that reflects and respects the lived experiences of historically ignored communities. 

This work is never done. To ensure equity across multiple lines of difference and experiences, we maintain a bias toward transformative action. 

Here’s what action looks like for Outschool.

Diversity
We intentionally include fair representation of different social identities–including but not limited to race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, social class, physical ability or attributes, and learning needs.

Equity
We implement processes to ensure inclusion and procedures to eliminate barriers or imbalances that keep community members from having equal opportunities.

Inclusion
Outschool cultivates an environment where all individuals feel welcomed, supported, and valued.

Belonging
We create a sense of connection through meaningful experiences by connecting people, ideas, and resources.

While our open community is our greatest source of strength, it also brings challenges. It is important to us that Outschool is a safe space for our users. Our members should treat each other without bias or prejudice across all pillars of diversity including, but not limited to, race, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, religion, and gender identity. Below are Outschool's Parent and Learner guidelines that we ask our members to observe. Outschool members who do not meet these guidelines will be removed from the site.

👩‍👦 PARENT CODE OF CONDUCT:

1. Learners should only attend class under their own enrollment, as themselves. It violates Outschool policy for a learner to use their sibling’s or another learner’s enrollment to attend class. Learns may only join a live meeting by using the green button in their class on their Outschool Learner Account. Educators are forbidden from sending links and passwords to Zoom live meetings.

2. Ask questions of teachers to clarify any missing details about classes, important information about your learner, and fill out your learner's profile such as age, gender preference, and any notes that the educator may need to know about your learner so they may help your learner throughout the class.

3. Make sure your learner shows up for their class; many classes depend on group conversation, and the absence of a single student can have a big impact. If a learner must miss a live meeting please have them notify their educator via a private message under the Teacher tab in their learner account as soon as possible, or you may notify the educator under the Message tab on your parent account.

4. Provide constructive feedback and reviews about your class experience, for the benefit of the teacher and other parents. The same goes for private messages.

5. Engage in civil conversation, and speak and act with respect for different opinions. Check for private messages from your learner's educators and respond promptly. All communication must take place and stay on Outschool.

6. Help keep Outschool a safe space for learners, families, and teachers from all backgrounds, beliefs, and locations. To that end, we encourage you to watch our Trust and Safety Code of Conduct video with your learner. Learners may not share personal information such as email addresses, mailing addresses, phone numbers, gamer tags, social media, etc.

🚸 LEARNER CODE OF CONDUCT:

1. Join the class on time and be ready to learn. Have all of the tools, textbooks, handouts, notes, or anything else the educator has asked of you ready to go before class starts.

2. Be kind: Help all learners feel welcome and included. Give positive feedback to your fellow classmates.

3. Be safe: Keep your personal information private and never ask other learners for theirs (e.g., email address, mailing address, phone number, gamer tags, etc.). All communication must take place and stay on Outschool.

4. Be respectful: Treat others how you want to be treated. Dress in a manner appropriate for class; please be fully clothed with both a top and bottoms on and sit upright for the class. Treat the teacher and your classmates with respect. 

5. Engage & Participate: Contribute to a class environment in a way that is safe and welcoming for learners and teachers from all backgrounds, beliefs, and locations. Take responsibility for making each class a great learning experience for yourself and your classmates: participate, stay on topic, and avoid distractions. Check for private messages from your educator and respond back promptly.

🏫 OUTSCHOOL CODE OF CONDUCT:

1. We welcome members from all backgrounds, beliefs, and locations and are committed to creating a safe space for our users across all pillars of diversity.

2. We will listen to feedback from parents, teachers, and learners, and make changes accordingly. Send an email to support@outschool at any time!

3. We will create and enforce policies to create a high-quality, trusted, and safe community for learning. This may include removing content or users from the platform.

4. We will respond promptly to questions and issues that arise.

👨‍🏫 TEACHER CODE OF CONDUCT:

1. Offer classes only where you have the appropriate background or expertise.

2. Teach classes professionally: 

3. Be prepared, begin on time, and treat all learners with respect.  

4. Do not teach while impaired and do not model any behavior that a student age 18 or younger is restricted from doing.  

5. Respond promptly to parent questions and requests.

6. Communicate with parents and learners in a professional manner, both in messages and in-class.

7. Keep all communications on our platform; never provide personal contact information to parents or learners for “off-platform” communications, or in-person meetings (prohibited unless an Outschool-sponsored event). 

8. Adhere to our class content policy by only offering secular, objective, age-appropriate classes

9. Create a safe and welcoming space for learners and families from all backgrounds, beliefs, and locations.