Data and Online Usage Policies

Licensing

Each educator must have their own Studies Weekly Online (SWO) account and ensure that usernames and passwords are not shared. Each Teacher Account is valid for one annual subscription. Teachers can create as many classrooms as needed, but the number of student accounts between all created classrooms should not exceed the purchased number of annual subscriptions. You may not resell, distribute, or otherwise share logins or printed materials. You must always have an active subscription to use downloaded, copyrighted materials.

Each educator must ensure that students, families, and classrooms do not share accounts. Every student must have their own student account and username. Sharing of student accounts or usernames or failure to follow this agreement, may result in immediate termination of your account.

Registration

To use SWO, each user must register their name, email address, and other details. Information collected about educators is not shared or sold, but may be used to communicate product and service updates.

 

How do we protect your information?

We use a secure server. All sensitive/credit information is transmitted via Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology and encrypted into our payment gateway provider’s database. This information is only accessible by those authorized with special access rights to such systems. We do not store private information (credit cards, social security numbers, financials, etc.) after a transaction.

 

Do we use cookies?

Yes. Cookies are small files that a site or its service provider transfers to a computer’s hard drive through your web browser to recognize the browser, capture, and remember certain information.

We use cookies to process the items in the shopping cart, save user preferences for future visits, and compile aggregate data about site traffic to improve the site experience. We may contract with third-party service providers but these service providers may only use the information to help us conduct and improve your experience. No identifiable information is shared with third-party service providers.

 

Do we disclose any information to outside parties?

We do not sell, trade, or transfer your personally identifiable information except when sharing necessary information to trusted third-parties to assist in conducting business. These partners also agree to keep all information confidential. We may also release information when such release is appropriate to comply with the law, enforce site policies, or protect ours or others rights, property, or safety.

 

What data information do we collect?

We only have access to information that you voluntarily provide. We do not sell or share this information. Data provided by you or your organization (either through automated rostering or by interaction with user accounts) is and shall remain the property of the provider.

All data released is in compliance with the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and Studies Weekly policies as set forth in this document, for managing student education records and other confidential information.

In becoming a Studies Weekly customer, each customer is agreeing to grant Studies Weekly license to use such data for:

  • Communication
  • Shipping
  • Creating accounts
  • Identifying user access to their data
  • Creating aggregate reports

Data will not be divulged to unauthorized third parties or used in any way that would violate FERPA.

 

Your Access to and Control Over Information

We may send emails to educators about promotions, new products, and services, but you may unsubscribe at any time. Although one may unsubscribe from all marketing emails, we reserve the right to contact any customer with other information that relates to purchases and subscriptions.

Anyone may contact us to:

  • See what data we may have about them
  • Change or correct their data
  • Ask us to delete their data
  • Express concern about use of their data

 

Security

We take precautions to protect information. When a customer submits sensitive information via the website, their information is protected both online and offline. We will notify them by email or phone within 48 hours should we ever discover a data breach.

When we collect sensitive information (such as credit card data), that information is encrypted and securely transmitted. To verify, check the closed lock icon at the bottom of your web browser, or for “https” at the beginning of the web page address.

We also protect your information offline. Only employees that need the information to perform a specific job (e.g., billing or customer service) are granted access to personally identifiable information. The computers and servers which store personally identifiable information are kept in a secure environment.

If you have concerns about how we comply with this privacy policy, please contact us at (866) 311-8734 or email support@studiesweekly.com.

 

Legal Compliance

We maintain strict compliance with FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act). COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act), and state privacy laws. If you have a specific question about adherence to your state laws, please email contracts@studiesweekly.com.

 

Downloadable Resources

For your convenience we allow certain resources to be downloaded. These files are intended only to help you teach and enhance your classroom experience. However, you are not permitted to share, upload to other websites or services, or sell. If you have any questions or need special permissions, please email contracts@studiesweekly.com.

 

Intellectual Property

All online and print materials are copyright protected and intended to be used solely by the purchaser and the properly licensed customers. Further use, duplication, or distribution to persons not covered by your license is a copyright infringement. This includes, but is not limited to, derivative works to be sold or given to third parties.

We are sometimes asked if content, samples or excerpts can be used in articles, papers, or other projects. Regrettably, we are unable to allow such use to unauthorized third parties due to our commitment to safeguarding our intellectual property. We strictly adhere to policies and guidelines governing the utilization of our materials for external purposes. Apart from copyright protection, we are bound by legal restrictions and pre-existing agreements that prohibit us from sharing any content, examples, or direct references for publication. Our dedication to maintaining the integrity and exclusivity of our content is of utmost importance to us.

 

Your Consent

By using our site, you consent to our privacy policy.

 

Changes to our Legal and Privacy Policy

If we change any policy, we will post changes here.

 

ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) & Section 508 Compliance

ADA Compliance (508 Compliance) provides accessibility for digitally published material.

Studies Weekly is committed to providing access to our online curriculum for all students, regardless of ability, by complying with the guidelines set forth by the Americans with Disabilities Act. Below, we’ve outlined the different ways that our site meets web accessibility best practices:

  • Web Content Accessibility Guidelines compliant
  • Article narration with variable speed
  • Audio reader can read assessment questions to a student
  • Article narration highlighting tool is color blind accessible
  • The application is screen-reader software compliant
  • Digital versions of all articles, images, and related media
  • Annotation features and highlighting (code text for improved comprehension and retention)
  • Many videos include closed captioning
  • Large-print

 

Updates

Studies Weekly strives to keep its product up-to-date and culturally relevant. As such we reserve the right to make updates and edits. Occasionally, we replace products in order to improve standards coverage. In such cases, if you have a long term adoption, we will offer to let you receive your remaining newspapers or magazines, or switch to the replacement at no additional cost.

Uptime Guarantee

At Studies Weekly, we value the satisfaction of our users and understand the frustration caused by unplanned downtime. To ensure that we address any inconvenience our users may experience, we have established the following uptime policy:

 

Service Availability Guarantee

Our commitment is to provide a service that is available 99% of the time. We strive to maintain uninterrupted access to our platform and its features for our users.

 

Compensation for Downtime

In the event of unplanned downtime, we will compensate our users with credits based on the duration of the downtime, according to the following schedule:

  • Downtime of less than 1 hour: No credit will be given.
  • Downtime of 1 hour to 24 hours: We will provide 1 hour of credit for every hour of downtime.
  • Downtime of more than 24 hours: We will provide 2 hours of credit for every hour of downtime.

 

Credit Request Process

To be eligible for credit, users must submit a request to our support team within 7 days of the downtime occurrence. Our dedicated support team will investigate the reported downtime and determine its eligibility for credit.

 

Credit Application

If credit is awarded, it will be applied to the user’s account within 10 days of the credit request being approved.

 

Comprehensive Coverage

Our uptime guarantee applies to the entire service, encompassing all features and components, except for isolated service disruptions that do not constitute overall downtime. It is based on a monthly rolling average, meaning calculation is always 30 days from the incident. For example, if there were a 2 hour outage on March 1st, we would calculate the uptime from January 31st through March 1st. In this scenario, it would be 99.72% uptime.

 

Exclusions

The uptime guarantee does not cover downtime caused by factors beyond our control, including but not limited to:

a) Natural disasters or power outages.
b) Actions or limitations imposed by third-party providers, such as the customer’s Internet Service Provider (ISP), Single Sign-On (SSO) services, and rostering services.

While we strive to work closely with these providers to maintain seamless service, any downtime resulting from their actions or limitations falls outside the scope of our uptime guarantee. We will, however, do our best to assist and collaborate with our users in resolving any issues arising from such situations.

This policy provides a clear and fair framework for compensating our users for unplanned downtime. If you have any questions or require further clarification, please don’t hesitate to contact our support team. We appreciate your understanding and remain dedicated to delivering the best possible service.

Ordering, Shipping, and Returns

Studies Weekly Payment Terms

The upcoming school year curriculum payment is due September 1 unless the order is placed after August 1. Those later orders are Net 30. Homeschool and other orders not sent to a school district require full payment before shipment.

 

Duplicate Orders

Studies Weekly is not responsible for duplicate orders. Duplicates may occur when an order is sent in separately from a PO, creating the appearance of two unique orders. To avoid such confusion, please send your order and PO together. If you notice that your order has been duplicated, please contact Customer Service at (866) 311-8734 to cancel the duplicate order and arrange for a return, if necessary. Please see our return policy for further details.

 

Studies Weekly Return Policy

If you need to cancel your order prior to shipment, please notify our Customer Service Department. Studies Weekly will gladly accept returns and issue a refund under the following conditions:

  • The customer must contact the customer service team to get a Return Material Authorization (RMA). Once your RMA has been issued, you have 30 days to return your items for a refund. No refunds will be given for items sent after 30 days.
  • The customer is responsible for all return shipping costs. Returns are not accepted after October 31st of the current year, or 60 days after the time of purchase, whichever is later.
  • To be eligible for a return and refund on print products, the publications must be in their original condition, boxed, unused and unseparated.
  • A $10 restocking fee will also be applied to each classroom box.
  • A refund will be issued after the product is returned and the condition is verified. The restocking fee will be subtracted from the total refunded amount.

 

Studies Weekly Shipping Policy

Shipping for the new school year begins in April, and product is shipped within a mutually agreed upon shipping window, based on customer availability to receive and sign for delivery.

Please note:

  • The shipping carrier is typically FedEx or Freight and is determined by order details.
  • Products can be expected to arrive within 14 days of shipping.
  • Studies Weekly is not responsible for delayed delivery of product due to backorder, acts of nature, carrier problems or other unforeseeable issues.
  • Publications that are delivered damaged or lost in shipment will be replaced at no additional cost.
  • Free Shipping is not applicable to Hawaii and Alaska, and shipping time takes 3-4 weeks.