Terms of Service

Last Updated: 9/1/2025

Welcome to School Kudos, Inc. (“Company,” “we,” “our,” or “us”). These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of our website, mobile applications, and services (collectively, the “Service” or “Platform”). By accessing or using the Service, you agree to these Terms and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.

1. Eligibility and User Roles

The Service is designed to celebrate school communities and share positive achievements with the public. Our platform connects schools with their broader communities through inspiring stories of student and staff success, organizational and team achievements, behind the scenes efforts toward goals, and related school events.

Users fall into three categories:

Public Viewers (Unregistered Users) – Anyone may view and enjoy content on the Service without registering, helping schools share their success stories with the wider community.
Registered Users – Community members who create accounts can engage with stories through reactions and likes, share content, and receive notifications about schools they follow. General Users are not able to comment on posts or stories.
Registered Staff – Registered staff are able to interact as Registered Users and in addition, Staff are able to create and and send their own content and bypass approval from another party. Additionally, Staff are able to comment on posts.
Authorized Organizers – Organizers are able to change settings for a school group, and Organizers are able to moderate content. As Moderators, Organizers will see pending posts, be able to edit, delete, and publish pending posts that were written by community members. Organizers will receive email notifications when a pending post has been created, notifying them to view and approve the post.
Authorized Contributors – Community members authorized by schools to share positive news and achievements. Contributors work with schools to celebrate student success and may include: Faculty and staff, Students sharing their achievements, Parents highlighting community involvement, Coaches celebrating team accomplishments, Other school-approved community members.

While the platform may enable any registered user to suggest content, registered school accounts have the complete authority to determine which content and which accounts are approved for posting for public consumption.

1A. Eligibility to use service

By using the Service, you represent that:

You are at least 13 years old; if under 18, you have parental/guardian consent
You are using the Service to celebrate and share positive school community stories
You will comply with these Terms and any applicable school policies

1B. Our Commitment to School Communities

We designed this platform specifically to celebrate student achievements and share positive school news with the broader community. By focusing exclusively on publicly appropriate content, we help schools share their success stories while maintaining full compliance with privacy laws and creating a safe, positive environment for celebrating educational excellence.

1C. Educational Records and Privacy Protection

Celebrating Public Achievements Only: This Service is designed exclusively for sharing positive, public-facing content that celebrates school community achievements. All content submitted to and displayed on the Platform focuses on information that schools are proud to share publicly without restriction.

Our Privacy-First Approach: School Kudos, Inc. does not access, collect, store, or process “education records” as defined under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g). We focus exclusively on celebrating public achievements, not managing confidential student information.

What We Celebrate: Our platform is designed for sharing:

Public achievements, awards, and recognitions
Academic achievements, milestones, and noteworthy efforts and development
Sports scores, team accomplishments, and athletic highlights and behind the scenes efforts and development
Arts performances, academic competitions, extracurricular successes and behind the scenes efforts and development
Staff achievements, milestones, and recognition
School event announcements and community celebrations
Positive news already suitable for local newspapers, school websites, or community newsletters
Directory information that schools may publicly share under FERPA

What We Don’t Handle: We specifically do not collect or manage:

Student academic records, grades, or transcripts
Disciplinary records or behavioral assessments
Special education records or individualized education programs (IEPs)
Health or medical information
Social security numbers or other sensitive identifiers
Any confidential information from student files maintained by schools

School Partnership Approach: School Kudos, Inc. operates as an independent platform partner, not as a “school official” under FERPA. Schools retain full control over:

Determining what achievements and news are appropriate to celebrate publicly
Ensuring compliance with FERPA and other applicable privacy laws
Managing any required parental communications or consents
Verifying that shared content focuses on publicly appropriate celebrations

Our Promise to Schools: By using this Service, schools can confidently share their community’s successes knowing that:

All content has been reviewed and approved for public celebration by a school official
Our platform focuses only on positive, publicly appropriate achievements
Schools maintain full control over their content and community representation
We provide the technology while schools retain editorial and privacy responsibility

Nothwithstanding the above, we reserve the right to modify or delete content that does not meet the expressed guidelines expressed herein.

2. Accounts and Registration

Simple Registration for Community Engagement: To engage with school stories through reactions, receive updates about your favorite schools, or contribute content (if authorized), you can register for a free account, though an account is not required to view content.

Account Security Partnership: You help us maintain a safe community by keeping your account credentials secure and promptly reporting any suspicious activity. You’re responsible for all activities under your account.

Community Standards: We work with schools to maintain accounts that support positive community engagement. We may suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms, applicable laws, or community standards, always in partnership with relevant schools when appropriate.

2A. School Registration and Partnership

Establishing School Partnerships: Schools must complete our registration process to begin celebrating their community achievements on the platform. This ensures appropriate representation and maintains our commitment to educational excellence.

School Registration Requirements: To register as a participating school, authorized school representatives must:

Verify official school status and authority to represent the school
Designate primary administrators responsible for platform oversight
Confirm compliance with applicable privacy laws and school policies
Agree to maintain editorial responsibility for all published content
Establish content approval workflows appropriate for their community

Authorized School Representatives: Only the following individuals may register schools and manage platform partnerships:

Superintendents or their designated representatives
Principals or assistant principals
Communications directors or public information officers
Other administrators with explicit authority to manage public communications
School board members (where applicable)

Verification Process: We verify school partnerships through:

Confirmation using official school email addresses and domains
Documentation of the representative’s authority within the school system
Verification of school accreditation and official status
Confirmation of compliance with local and state educational requirements

School Administrator Responsibilities: Once registered, school administrators are responsible for:

Managing contributor accounts and content approval processes
Ensuring all published content complies with school policies and applicable laws
Maintaining appropriate community representation and positive messaging
Overseeing privacy compliance and parental communication requirements
Training contributors on platform guidelines and community standards

Ongoing Partnership Management: Schools maintain active partnerships through:

Regular content publication celebrating community achievements
Responsive management of contributor accounts and community engagement
Compliance with platform Terms of Service and community guidelines
Participation in platform improvements and feature development
Commitment to positive representation of educational communities

3. Content Submission and Celebration

a. Submission Permissions

Only school-authorized Contributors may submit content celebrating school achievements and community news. Schools determine who can share their community’s positive stories, ensuring appropriate representation of their achievements.

b. School Approval Workflow

All submitted content is reviewed and approved by schools or their designated representatives before publication. Schools serve as the sole publishers and editorial decision-makers for their content.

This school-controlled process enabled by our platform ensures that:

Schools maintain complete editorial control over their content
Content represents what schools choose to publish publicly
Schools retain full responsibility for all editorial decisions
School Kudos, Inc. provides neutral hosting technology without editorial input

School Kudos, Inc. operates as a neutral platform providing technical infrastructure. We do not participate in editorial decisions about specific content.

c. Content Ownership and Licensing

Publisher and Platform Roles: Schools retain complete ownership and publishing authority over their content. Contributors retain ownership of their original contributions. School Kudos, Inc. operates as a neutral hosting platform.

Comprehensive Platform License: By submitting content for school approval and publication, schools and contributors grant School Kudos, Inc. a worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, transferable, sublicensable license to use, reproduce, distribute, prepare derivative works of, display, perform, and otherwise exploit the content in any manner and through any media, whether now known or hereafter developed, including the right to:

Host, store, cache, and display content across all platform infrastructure and formats
Distribute content through any current or future devices, platforms, and delivery methods
Create derivative works, including edited versions, compilations, excerpts, and promotional materials
Include content in platform functionality, features, advertising, and marketing materials
Syndicate content to partner platforms, social media, and third-party distribution channels
Use content for artificial intelligence training, platform improvement, and algorithm development
Create promotional materials featuring content to attract new schools and users
License content to third parties for platform-related purposes
Monetize content through advertising, sponsorships, premium features, and other revenue streams
Archive and preserve content for historical and operational purposes
Translate, localize, and adapt content for different regions and languages

Commercial Use Rights: This license specifically includes the right to use content for commercial purposes, including but not limited to advertising revenue generation, premium service offerings, data analytics services, and platform licensing opportunities.

Survival and Transfer: This license survives termination of your account or these Terms and may be transferred in connection with any sale, merger, or transfer of School Kudos, Inc. or its assets.

d. Platform Content Policies

We maintain uniform content policies that apply to all users and content on our platform, regardless of source. We reserve the right to remove, decline, or restrict access to content that violates these Terms, applicable laws, or our platform policies.

Schools remain solely responsible for all editorial decisions about their content. School Kudos, Inc. applies technical and policy-based content moderation uniformly across the platform without participating in editorial decision-making about specific school content.

4. Community Standards and Content Guidelines

We work with schools to maintain a positive, safe environment for celebrating educational achievements. All content must support our mission of highlighting the best in school communities.

Content That Celebrates Our Mission: ✅ Student, staff and team achievements and recognitions ✅ Positive school events and community celebrations ✅ Academic competitions and accomplishments ✅ Arts performances and creative achievements ✅ Athletic accomplishments and team spirit ✅ Community service and leadership examples ✅ School pride and positive traditions

Content That Doesn’t Fit Our Mission: We don’t provide a platform for content that detracts from celebrating school communities, including:

Harmful or Inappropriate Content:

Content promoting violence, self-harm, or dangerous activities
Material that could endanger community members
Instructions for illegal activities

Negativity and Harassment:

Bullying, harassment, or intimidation of any community member
Personal attacks or targeted negativity
Sharing private information without consent

Discriminatory Content:

Content that attacks individuals or groups based on protected characteristics
Discriminatory language or imagery that divides communities
Hate speech of any kind

Inappropriate Material:

Sexually explicit content or inappropriate imagery
Content that sexualizes minors in any way
Material unsuitable for a family-friendly school environment

Legal Violations:

Copyright infringement or unauthorized use of others’ work
Trademark violations
Any content that violates applicable laws

Misinformation and Inauthentic Behavior:

Deliberately false or misleading information about achievements or events
Impersonation of students, staff, or school officials
Fake accounts or coordinated deceptive practices

Spam and Irrelevant Content:

Repetitive or off-topic content
Commercial spam unrelated to celebrating school achievements
Content that disrupts the positive community experience

Platform Standards and School Responsibility: Schools maintain complete editorial control over their content while operating within our platform’s uniform Terms of Service. All content must comply with our platform policies, which are applied consistently across all users.

Schools work independently to ensure their approved content supports positive community representation and complies with applicable laws and regulations.

5. Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) Compliance

Protecting Creative Achievements: We respect the intellectual property rights of students, schools, and community members who create original content to celebrate their achievements.

Copyright Infringement Reporting: If you believe content on our platform infringes your copyright, please contact our Copyright Agent:

Required Information for DMCA Notices:

Your physical or electronic signature
Identification of the copyrighted work you believe is infringed
Identification of the allegedly infringing material and its location on our platform
Your contact information (address, phone, email)
A good faith statement that the use is not authorized by you, your agent, or the law
A statement that your notice is accurate and you’re authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner

Counter-Notification Process: If you believe content was removed in error, you may file a counter-notification including:

Your physical or electronic signature
Identification of the removed content and its former location
A statement under penalty of perjury that removal was due to mistake or misidentification
Your contact information and consent to legal jurisdiction in your location

Repeat Infringer Policy: We work with schools to address copyright concerns and will terminate accounts of users who repeatedly infringe copyrights, while working to preserve the positive community environment we’ve built together.

6. Advertising and Platform Sustainability

Supporting School Communities Through Sustainable Operations: All advertising and sponsorship opportunities are managed exclusively by School Kudos, Inc. to ensure appropriate, family-friendly content that supports our educational mission.

Community-Appropriate Advertising:

All advertisements sold through our platform are reviewed for appropriateness in school community contexts
We prioritize educational, family-friendly, and community-supportive advertisers
Schools and Contributors focus on creating great content while we handle platform sustainability

Exclusive Platform Management: Unless otherwise approved by School Kudos, Inc., schools and Contributors may not sell or display separate advertising, sponsorships, or promotions outside of our managed advertising platform. This ensures consistent, appropriate advertising standards across all school communities.

7. Intellectual Property Partnership

Platform Technology: All platform technology, software, and design elements are owned or licensed by School Kudos, Inc.. This allows us to continuously improve the platform for all school communities.

Content Collaboration: While schools and Contributors retain ownership of their achievements and stories, our partnership allows us to share these celebrations effectively across the platform and with the broader community.

Respectful Use: Except for the content you contribute, you may not copy, distribute, reverse-engineer, or misuse our platform technology without written permission. This helps us maintain a stable, secure environment for all users.

8. Liability Limitations and Community Responsibility

a. Content Publisher Responsibility

Schools serve as the sole publishers of content they approve for the platform and assume complete responsibility for all editorial decisions. School Kudos, Inc. operates as a neutral hosting platform providing technical infrastructure.

School Kudos, Inc. disclaims all liability for user-generated content and school-published content, including claims related to accuracy, defamation, copyright infringement, privacy violations, or any other issues arising from content decisions made by schools or users.

As a platform provider, we do not exercise editorial control over specific content and are not responsible for content-related claims or disputes.

b. Community Partnership Indemnification

Schools, Contributors, and users agree to work with us in protecting our shared platform by holding harmless School Kudos, Inc. and its affiliates from claims, damages, or expenses arising from:

Content submitted, approved, or published through your school’s partnership with us
Violations of applicable laws, regulations, or third-party rights
Breaches of these Terms or community standards
Claims by students, parents, or community members related to approved content
Regulatory investigations or enforcement actions related to your content
Security issues resulting from your actions or account management
Legal disputes arising from your use of the platform

This mutual protection arrangement continues even after your use of the Service ends, ensuring long-term community safety.

c. Platform Reliability and Service Limitations

Service Provided “As Available”: We work hard to provide reliable service for celebrating school achievements, but we provide the platform “as is” and “as available” without warranties of specific uptime, performance, or outcomes.

Limited Liability: Our liability for any platform issues is limited to direct damages only. We’re not liable for indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages that might result from platform use.

Focus on Positive Impact: While we cannot guarantee perfect technical performance, we are committed to supporting school communities in sharing their achievements and maintaining a positive platform environment.

9. Account Management and Community Standards

Collaborative Account Management: We may suspend or terminate user access for violations of these Terms or community standards, often working with relevant schools to address issues constructively when possible.

School-Requested Changes: Schools may request deactivation or modification of a User account at any time, and we’ll work with them to ensure appropriate community representation.

Positive Resolution Focus: We prioritize resolving issues in ways that support continued positive community engagement while maintaining appropriate standards.

10. Dispute Resolution and Community Support

a. Mandatory Arbitration for Legal Disputes

IMPORTANT LEGAL PROVISION – PLEASE READ CAREFULLY

Collaborative Resolution First: We encourage resolving any concerns through direct communication with our support team and relevant school administrators when applicable.

Arbitration Agreement: For legal disputes that cannot be resolved collaboratively, you and School Kudos, Inc. agree that claims will be settled through binding arbitration rather than court proceedings, except as noted below.

Arbitration Process:

Conducted by JAMS under its Comprehensive Arbitration Rules
Held in the state of Michigan or via telephone/video conference
Designed to be efficient and cost-effective for all parties

Exceptions to Arbitration: These disputes may be resolved in court:

Claims for injunctive or equitable relief
Intellectual property disputes
Small claims court actions (under applicable monetary limits)

Individual Resolution: TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, YOU AND School Kudos, Inc. AGREE THAT DISPUTES WILL BE RESOLVED INDIVIDUALLY, NOT AS PART OF A CLASS ACTION OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING.

b. Content Appeals and Community Standards

Fair Review Process: If content is removed or accounts are suspended, you may appeal our decision through:

Submitting an appeal through our support system within 30 days
Providing context about why the action may have been incorrect
Working with relevant school administrators when appropriate

We review appeals promptly and work toward resolutions that support positive community standards.

11. Artificial Intelligence and Platform Enhancement

Improving Community Experiences: We may use artificial intelligence and automated systems to enhance our platform:

Analyzing content to ensure compliance with community standards
Recommending relevant achievements and stories to community members
Improving platform functionality and user experience
Detecting spam, fraud, or inappropriate behavior

Learning from Community Success: Your interactions with achievements and stories may help us improve our recommendation systems and platform features, always in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

Transparency in Automation: We’re committed to using AI responsibly to support our mission of celebrating school communities while maintaining human oversight of important decisions.

12. Governing Law and Community Standards

Legal Framework: These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Michigan, U.S.A., providing a consistent legal framework for our community of schools and users.

Jurisdiction: Legal disputes must be resolved in the courts of Michigan unless otherwise prohibited by law or resolved through our arbitration process.

13. Terms Updates and Community Communication

Transparent Updates: We may update these Terms to better serve school communities or comply with legal requirements. We’ll provide reasonable notice of significant changes through:

Email notifications to registered users
Prominent notices on the platform
Updates to our “Last Updated” date

Continued Partnership: Your continued use of the Service after updates constitutes acceptance of revised Terms, allowing us to maintain our community standards and legal compliance.