Policies

Nondiscrimination

The School admits students of any race, color, national origin, ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation and/or gender expression to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. Further, The School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnic origin, sexual orientation and/or gender expression in the administration of educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and school-administered programs.

The School employs any staff and volunteers of any race, color, national origin, ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation and/or gender expression to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. Further, The School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnic origin, sexual orientation and/or gender expression in the administration of employment and volunteer policies, Each individual has the right to represent the school in a professional atmosphere that promotes equal employment opportunities, and prohibits unlawful nondiscriminatory practices, including harassment. Mainspring Academy expects that all operations at the School will be business-like and free of explicit bias, prejudice, and harassment. Any complaint in violation of such policies will be investigated and resolved appropriately. Any employee or volunteer who has questions or concerns about these policies should contact the Head of School, Dina Parisi, at (904)503-0344, or [email protected]

Conflict of Interest

All employees are expected to promote the best interests of the school at all times, and not place themselves or the school in a position of compromise or obligation. Each employee has a responsibility to avoid any activity, agreement, business investment or interest, or other situation that could be construed as a conflict with the school’s best interests. Any questions or concerns about potential conflicts should be communicated to the Head of School, Dina Parisi, at (904)503-0344, or [email protected]

Whistleblower

A whistleblower as defined by this policy as an employee of the School who reports an activity that he or she considers to be illegal or dishonest to one or more of the parties specified in this policy. The whistleblower is not responsible for investigating the activity or for determining fault or corrective measures; appropriate School or law enforcement officials are charged with these responsibilities. If an employee has knowledge of or concern about illegal or dishonest activity, the employee
is to contact the Head of School. If it concerns the Head of School, the employee should directly contact the Director of Programming. Due to the serious and sensitive nature of such complaints, the employee must exercise sound judgment to avoid baseless allegations. An employee who intentionally or knowingly files a false report of wrongdoing will be subject to corrective action up to and including termination.

To the greatest extent possible, the confidentiality of the whistleblower will be maintained. However, identity may have to be disclosed to conduct a thorough investigation, to comply with the law, and to provide accused individuals with their legal rights of defense.

The School will not retaliate against a whistleblower. This includes, but is not limited to, protection from retaliation in the form of an adverse employment action such as discharge, compensation decreases, or poor work assignments. Any whistleblower who believes he or she is being retaliated against must contact the Head of School immediately. The right of a whistleblower to protection against retaliation does not include immunity for any personal wrongdoing that is alleged and investigated.

Document Retention and Destruction

Organizational records shall be retained permanently.

Individual, personally identifiable student and personnel records collected and maintained by the School shall be accessible only to authorized administrators for the purposes of management, auditing, monitoring, and evaluation of School programs, or for the completion of School and organizational activities requiring access to such records. The School shall not disclose personally identifiable, individual student and personnel records to any person, institution, agency, or organization except as authorized by the appropriate entity. 

Mainspring Academy maintains student and employee files for each active or former student or employee, which contains an administrative record of enrollment and employment with the School. These records are confidential and are held in controlled file cabinets. Active employees may review their employee file at any time in the office with the Head of School or their designee present. In no case may an employee alter or remove information from the file, nor may the file be removed
from the immediate area in which it is being viewed.

Personnel files are the property of Mainspring Academy and access to the information contained within is restricted. Generally, only members of the administration who have an appropriate business-related reason to review information in a file are allowed to do so.

Personally identifiable student records shall be maintained for five years or until applicable federal or state audit functions have been completed, at which time all such records shall be destroyed except for those required for management, auditing, monitoring, and evaluation of School programs. Personally identifiable, individual student and personnel records such as immunizations, birth certificates, confirmation of attendance/employment, and cumulative school records shall be maintained for verification purposes.  All other documents shall be destroyed when no longer required.

Privacy

We respect and are committed to protecting your privacy. We may collect personally identifiable information when you visit our site. We also automatically receive and record information on our server logs from your browser including your IP address, cookie information, and the page(s) you visited. We will not sell your personally identifiable information to anyone.

All Mainspring Academy staff are exposed to confidential information related to students, parents, and co-workers. To protect the interests of all these individuals, all staff will keep such information confidential. Furthermore, in order to preserve the dignity of students, parents, and staff, employees will refrain from negative discussions related to these individuals, especially in informal settings where conversations may be overheard by others. Information about children, families, and staff should be used in a professional manner, only with those with a business-related need-to-know, and should never be used as a topic of casual conversation or gossip.

Security

Your payment and personal information is always safe. Our Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) software is the industry standard and among the best software available today for secure commerce transactions. It encrypts all your personal information, including credit card number, name, and address so that it cannot be read over the Internet.

The School retains the right to monitor the use of the school network including individual use of computers and e-mail accounts. Employees, students, and volunteers should not have an expectation of privacy when utilizing school networks, systems, or electronic communication resources either on school property or while using school electronic resources off-campus.

The employee’s first priority must be the safety of the children. Employees must be cognizant of the whereabouts of the students under your care at all times. Exit doors must be closely monitored. The preparation of a safe environment in and outside the building is a responsibility shared by all staff. Anyone who sees a child in danger should act immediately. Anyone who observes a safety hazard should report it to School Administration as soon as possible. In the classroom, staff must be certain that knives, adult scissors, medicine, cleaning products, etc. are never left in reach of children. Children must be in the eye view of a teacher at all times, except when in the bathroom. Each staff member is responsible for notifying another staff member before they leave the classroom. This will help ensure the safety of the children during the absence. Even a brief absence to the restroom should be coordinated with another staff member.

If you notice anyone on school property with whom you are not familiar, personnel should politely inquire as to why they are on campus. Personnel should not place themselves (or anyone else) in harm’s way. If personnel may encounter belligerence or sense any danger, they must call 911 immediately and locate someone from administration. All visitors must sign in at the lobby with the School Receptionist before entering the school. Personnel should remind parents if they are on campus for a conference or meeting they need to check-in at the school lobby. The School Coordinator will contact the appropriate teacher, administrator, or staff member.

At times parents or providers may request an observation within the classroom during school
hours. To protect the privacy of all students, we ask that parents send in a formal request to the
Director of Programming and the student’s teacher so that a time may be coordinated. Observations should generally not be scheduled for more than 30 minutes. 

Refunds

There are no refunds.