POLICIES
View The Literacy Nest's list of Policies that address discrimination, intellectual property rights, vested interest disclosure, qualification requirements, course content review, and record security.
Anti-Discrimination Policy
Date of Last Update: 3/15/23
- Purpose
This policy prevents discrimination within any learning environment created by The Literacy Nest, and ensures that all individuals involved in continuing education through The Literacy Nest will not encounter discrimination
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Scope
This policy applies to all aspects of The Literacy Nest organization, including but not limited to the annual Building Readers For Life: The Literacy Nest Summer Conference. It encompasses the entirety of business operations within The Literacy Nest and all learning events or hosted through the organization.
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Policy
The Literacy Nest and the Building Readers For Life: The Literacy Nest Summer Conference is committed to providing a learning environment that is free from harassment and discrimination. Harassment or discrimination based upon an individual's race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, disability, age, genetic information (including family medical history), or any other legally-protected characteristics will not be tolerated. All participants, including presenters and other contracted personnel, are expected and required to abide by this policy.
The Literacy Nest and the Building Readers For Life: The Literacy Nest Summer Conference will not tolerate harassment, bullying, threatening, or derogatory language in the comments or public spaces on any of its online platforms, and reserves the right to ban any participant, presenter, or event personnel who have been determined to be behaving in a negative or harassing manner.
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Roles & Responsibilities
The president/CEO of The Literacy Nest will be responsible for enforcing this policy and addressing any potential violations.
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Reporting & Violations
If a participant, presenter, or other contracted personnel feel they have been harassed or discriminated against on the basis of their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, age, genetic information, or any other legally protected characteristic, they should immediately report the matter to The Literacy Nest president/CEO via email at [email protected]. Once the matter has been reported it will be promptly investigated by the president/CEO and necessary corrective action will be taken where appropriate. Corrective action may include: removing an individual from participation in the learning event, removing a presenter from their role in the learning event, preventing future participation or presentation, monetary refunds, or contacting local authorities.
All complaints of unlawful harassment will be handled in as discreet and confidential a manner as is possible under the circumstances. No person will be adversely affected in their standing with The Literacy Nest as a result of bringing complaints of harassment or discrimination.
- Methodology of Policy Distribution
Instructors teaching in any learning events created by The Literacy Nest will receive a copy of this policy (and all The Literacy Nest policies) as part of the informational materials shared prior to signing the contract with The Literacy Nest. Signing the contract constitutes consent to adhere to all policies.
Participants in any learning events created by The Literacy Nest will have access to this policy (and all The Literacy Nest policies) within the learning event information hosted on the learning management system (Kajabi). Participants will consent to adhere to the policies as part of their registration in the learning event.
Any new contractors or employees of The Literacy Nest will receive this and all policies via email when entering into a working relationship with The Literacy Nest, and The Literacy Nest will require and receive written content to adhere to the policies via email.
Vested Interest Identification and Disclosure Policy
Date of Last Update: 3/15/23
- Purpose
This policy ensures the identification and disclosure of:
- any vested interest in a product, instrument, device, or material used in a learning event
- relevant financial and non-financial relationships
- conflicts of interest
to maintain full transparency between The Literacy Nest, presenters, and participants.
- Scope
This policy applies to any learning event hosted or created by The Literacy Nest organization, including but not limited to the annual Building Readers For Life: The Literacy Nest Summer Conference.
- Policy
All presenters and representatives of the Building Readers For Life: The Literacy Nest Summer Conference or any learning event hosted by The Literacy Nest are required to disclose any affiliation or vested interest in any product or materials that may be used in their presentation video, teaching materials, or discussion board interactions. If the instructor receives any share of royalties or profits from the product promotion or endorsement, the instructor will disclose this connection in writing on a slide during their presentation and on any relevant teaching materials.
All disclosures in promotional material and presentation content will include:
- name of the presenter
- relevant financial relationship(s): listing the name of the organization and the type of financial relationship
- relevant non-financial relationship(s): listing the name of the organization and the type of non-financial relationship
- if no relevant financial or non-financial relationships exist, that should be stated
- Procedure
- Events & Continuing Education Manager will confirm relevant financial and non-financial relationship disclosures and conflicts of interest have been included and verified by presenters on the signed presenter agreements
- Any disclosed conflicts or relationships will be presented to the president/CEO for review; if found to be of concern, the following steps may be taken:
- The Literacy Nest will engage the presenter in a guided interview process which seeks to understand how the relevant financial or nonfinancial relationship may influence the content of the presentation
- The presenter may be removed from the lineup
- The Events & Continuing Education Manager will confirm all disclosed relationship and conflicts are included in marketing material
- The Events & Continuing Education Manager will check with presenters prior to conference to ask if there have been changes in relevant relationships since the initial disclosure on the agreement
- The Events & Continuing Education Manager will remind presenters that disclosures must be included at the beginning of their presentation
- Roles & Responsibilities
The president/CEO of The Literacy Nest will be responsible for enforcing this policy and addressing any potential violations.
- Reporting & Violations
If a presenter neglects to disclose a vested interest or financial/non-financial relationship, the President/CEO of The Literacy Nest will inform all participants of that learning event upon discovery of the connection. Any participants suspecting a possible vested interest that was not disclosed should report the matter to The Literacy Nest president/CEO via email at [email protected]. Once reported, the possible interest will be investigated by the president/CEO and necessary corrective action will be taken where appropriate. Corrective action may include: removing a presenter from their role in the learning event, preventing future participation or presentation, or monetary refunds.
No person will be adversely affected in their standing with The Literacy Nest as a result of bringing complaints of undisclosed vested interest.
Intellectual Property Rights Policy
Date of Last Update: 3/17/23
- Purpose
This policy ensures the respect of ownership rights of intellectual property among all presentations and teaching materials used in a learning event hosted or created by The Literacy Nest.
- Scope
This policy applies to any learning event hosted or created by The Literacy Nest organization, including but not limited to the annual Building Readers For Life: The Literacy Nest Summer Conference.
- Policy
The Literacy Nest and the Building Readers For Life: The Literacy Nest Summer Conference requires appropriate adherence to intellectual property rights by both presenters and participants.
As part of the Presenters Agreement, presenters agree that they will adequately investigate and adhere to the acceptable use policy of any media or work that is included in their presentations. Citations must be included for any copyrighted material used during a presentation, written in the handouts for the course.
Participants agree, upon registration, to acknowledge that use of any portion of a presentation or supplemental materials is subject to copyright and may only be done upon proof of written permission. The Literacy Nest agrees to maintain a file of granted permission requests. Usage of any copyrighted material, upon granted permission, should be appropriately cited.
Ownership and control of presentations made by contracted presenters belongs to that presenter, though it will remain on The Literacy Nest website pursuant to the signed presenter agreement.
Ownership and control of presentations made by The Literacy Nest staff belongs to The Literacy Nest.
- Roles & Responsibilities
The president/CEO of The Literacy Nest will be responsible for enforcing this policy and addressing any potential violations.
- Reporting & Violations
Any participants or presenters suspecting a possible copyright infringement should report the matter to The Literacy Nest president/CEO via email at [email protected]. If the material is determined to not have written permission on file at The Literacy Nest, the organization will remove the relevant material from the learning management system (LMS) and inform relevant participants and presenters that the material should not be disseminated or used.
No person will be adversely affected in their standing with The Literacy Nest as a result of bringing complaints of possible infringement of copyright.
Qualification Requirements Policy
Date of Last Update: 11/14/21
- Purpose
This policy ensures the qualifications of people involved in learning events hosted or created by The Literacy Nest are reviewed regularly and deemed to be satisfactory for involvement in the learning event.
- Scope
This policy applies to any presenter or support person involved in a learning event hosted or created by The Literacy Nest organization, including but not limited to the annual Building Readers For Life: The Literacy Nest Summer Conference. It includes presenters and contracted support personnel who may be involved in course design, development, delivery, evaluation, or administration.
- Policy
The Literacy Nest shall review the credentials of all presenters and support personnel involved in the Building Readers For Life: The Literacy Nest Summer Conference or any learning event created hosted by The Literacy Nest to ensure subject matter expertise and relevant competencies.
Presenters: Upon contracting with The Literacy Nest as a conference presenter, the subject matter experts (SMEs) shall provide resumes that include relevant educational and professional experience, licenses, and certifications. The Literacy Nest president/CEO shall review these resumes and credentials (and research additional context within the subject matter as needed), and the resumes shall be kept on file.
Support Personnel: Individuals contracted as support personnel may include marketing professionals, learning management system managers, or administrative assistants. The Literacy Nest president/CEO shall review the resumes and credentials of each of these contracted personnel to ensure they adequately represent the function they will be performing. These resumes shall be kept on file.
- Roles & Responsibilities
The president/CEO of The Literacy Nest will be responsible for collecting and reviewing the resumes and credentials of all presenters and support personnel, as well as determining the existence of all relevant competencies.
- Reporting & Violations
Any participants or presenters with concerns regarding the relevant competencies of any presenter or support personnel shall share these concerns with The Literacy Nest president/CEO via email at [email protected]. The president/CEO will then conduct the needed research and inquiries to determine the validity of these concerns. Any presenter or support person found to hold inadequate experience shall be removed from their position until the time that such qualifications are acquired.
No person will be adversely affected in their standing with The Literacy Nest as a result of sharing concerns related to the qualifications of any presenters or support personnel.
Course Content Review Policy
Date of Last Update: 11/14/21
- Purpose
This policy ensures course content in any learning event hosted or created by The Literacy Nest is reviewed for quality, currency, effectiveness, and applicability. Any course content used in a learning event must attain satisfactory achievement in all these categories.
- Scope
This policy applies to the content of any learning event hosted or created by The Literacy Nest organization, including but not limited to the annual Building Readers For Life: The Literacy Nest Summer Conference.
- Policy
The president/CEO of The Literacy Nest shall review all course content when it is submitted by the presenter for use in the learning event. In order to be used in the learning event, each piece of content—including, but not limited to, instructional videos, handouts and the course design document—shall be determined to satisfy requirements in its quality, currency, effectiveness, and applicability to the course subject.
Any content determined to not satisfy the four requirements shall be returned to the submitting presenter with a communication detailing the necessary changes needed to improve the quality. Any presenter unable to make these necessary changes shall be removed as a presenter for that learning event.
- Roles & Responsibilities
The president/CEO of The Literacy Nest will be responsible for collecting and reviewing all submitted learning materials, as well as deciding when improvements are needed and communicating those improvements to the presenter.
- Reporting & Violations
Any content determined to not satisfy the four requirements shall be returned to the submitting presenter with a communication detailing the necessary changes needed to improve the quality. Any presenter unable to make these necessary changes shall be removed as a presenter for that learning event.
If content is determined to be insufficient following changes from the presenter, The Literacy Nest president/CEO shall inform the presenter that their learning event will not take place, nor will they receive monetary compensation for the submitted materials.
Personal Records Security Policy
Date of Last Update: 11/14/21
- Purpose
This policy ensures that records of The Literacy Nest learning event participants shall be kept private and secure.
- Scope
This policy applies to the digital or hardcopy personal records of participants in any learning event hosted or created by The Literacy Nest, including but not limited to the annual Building Readers For Life: The Literacy Nest Summer Conference. Personal records may include name, address, CEU history, contact information, Stripe/Kajabi purchase records, and other personal information.
- Policy
The Literacy Nest shall maintain personal records of all learning event participants. These records will be kept as up-to-date as possible, and stored in a secure location such as an on-site filing system, digital records on The Literacy Nest hardware, or digital records located within the learning management system. The information shall be considered confidential and shared only upon written permission or request from the participant. The Literacy Nest shall ensure all available steps are taken to secure information stored, including but not limited to locking office doors, locking cabinets, and ensuring any cloud-stored digital content is kept in a reputable, secure domain.
The Literacy Nest will not share personal information with any other organizations for any purpose other than to report CEU credits earned to accrediting bodies.
- Roles & Responsibilities
The president/CEO of The Literacy Nest will be responsible for maintaining the personal records of learning event participants, ensuring they are kept confidential and secure.
- Reporting & Violations
Any detected breach in the security of personal information hosted by The Literacy Nest shall be communicated to all relevant learning event participants to warn of potential information-sharing.
Any learning event participant who has sufficient reason to suspect their personal information held by The Literacy Nest has been shared without permission shall communicate this to the president/CEO via email at [email protected]. The president/CEO shall investigate any suspicion of a security breach accordingly. If a breach is detected, that information shall be shared with all relevant learning event participants, and steps shall be taken to prevent similar breaches in the future.
Learning Event Refund Policy
Date of Last Update: 3/2/23
- Purpose
This policy ensures that The Literacy Nest refund policies are clear and in writing for communication to participants.
The current Return and Refund policy on materials purchased through The Literacy Nest are posted on the website and separate from this policy on learning events.
- Scope
This policy applies to registrations in any learning event hosted or created by The Literacy Nest, including but not limited to the annual Building Readers For Life: The Literacy Nest Summer Conference.
- Policy
The Literacy Nest will not offer refunds for registration in the Building Readers for Life summer conference.
The Literacy Nest will refund registration for all participants upon the cancellation of the Building Readers for Life conference. However, the cancellation of any single presenter will not constitute cancellation of the full event, therefore no refunds will be given in response to changes in the presenter lineup. The rescheduling of the conference will not qualify registrants for a refund.
- Roles & Responsibilities
The president/CEO of The Literacy Nest will be responsible for ensuring this policy is clearly communicated on sales pages for any learning events, and for enforcing the policy via email or other communication when requests are received.
- Appeals & Complaints
Appeals to the refund policy may be made in writing to [email protected]; The Literacy Nest does not guarantee a change in policy but will review all appeals and consider special circumstances.
Complaint Policy
Date of Last Update: 3/2/23
- Purpose
This policy ensures that The Literacy Nest complaint policy is clear and in writing for communication to participants.
- Scope
This policy applies to complaints from individuals not satisfied with any learning event hosted or created by The Literacy Nest, including but not limited to the annual Building Readers For Life: The Literacy Nest Summer Conference.
- Policy
The Literacy Nest will accept complaints and concerns about services and programs via email at [email protected]. A participant who shares complaints as comments within the learning management system will be asked to resubmit via email. The Literacy Nest will review all received complaints and consider special circumstances before responding. The Literacy Nest will not guarantee any specific resolution of complaints in this policy, however the organization will pursue all available avenues to resolve complaints positively to ensure customer satisfaction.
- Roles & Responsibilities
The president/CEO of The Literacy Nest will be responsible for ensuring this policy is clearly communicated on sales pages for any learning events, and for enforcing the policy via email or other communication when requests are received.
- Appeals & Complaints
Appeals to the complaint response may be made in writing to [email protected]; The Literacy Nest does not guarantee a decision change but will review all appeals and provide a response.
Professional Conduct Policy
Date of Last Update: 5/13/23
- Purpose
This policy ensures that employees of The Literacy Nest and contracted subject matter experts (SME/Presenters) understand the expectations held by the organization for professional conduct.
- Scope
This policy applies to employees of The Literacy Nest, contractors hired by The Literacy Nest, and SME/Presenters contracted to teach learning events as part of the annual Building Readers For Life: The Literacy Nest Summer Conference and any other applicable learning events.
- Policy
The Literacy Nest expects that employees, contractors, and SME/Presenters will work together to create a community of learners that is supportive and respectful. They should:
- Consider the ethical aspects of all decisions made while creating content, communicating with learners, and providing feedback
- Use inclusive and respectful language that creates a safe environment for learners and other presenters
- Demonstrate integrity and follow standards and requirements for teaching continuing education content and assessing learners
- Carry out required elements of the contract including adhering to the vested interest policy, checking into the LMS to conduct assessment feedback and answer questions, and submitting all deliverables in a timely manner
- Interact with learners professionally and without discrimination, and escalate any harassment or conflict issues to The Literacy Nest at [email protected]
- Respect the privacy of learners, employees, and fellow presenters
Learners, presenters, and contractors may send concerns regarding conduct to The Literacy Nest via email at [email protected]. The Literacy Nest will review the concern objectively and address appropriately, pursuing all available avenues to ensure customer satisfaction and content integrity.
- Roles & Responsibilities
The president/CEO of The Literacy Nest will be responsible for ensuring this policy is clearly communicated to contractors and employees and on sales pages for any learning events, and for enforcing the policy.
