Student Service Agreement, for All New Aligned Paths Students

Terms of Service, for our Online Services

WHEREAS Aligned Paths Counselling, Educational and Trauma Services ("Aligned Paths") is engaged in the business of providing tutoring, educational, coaching, and other services (collectively, the "Services");

AND WHEREAS Aligned Paths delivers the Services through a network of independent contractors, educators, coaches, and other professionals (collectively, "Educational Service Providers, but the terms teacher, coach, tutor, educational services provider, and mentor are used interchangeably on this site and in this agreement") who possess diverse qualifications, skill sets, and areas of expertise across a wide range of educational, developmental, and therapeutic disciplines;

AND WHEREAS you (the "Client") are seeking to engage Aligned Paths for the provision of Services, either: (a) as a student who is 18 years of age or older (in which case you are both the "Client" and the "Student"); or (b) as the parent or legal guardian of a student under the age of 18 (in which case you are the "Client" and the student under the age of 18 is the "Student").

NOW THEREFORE, this agreement (the "Agreement") sets out the rights and responsibilities of both parties and establishes those terms which shall apply to all Services provided to the Client pursuant to this Agreement, which are as follows:

• Informed consent

To provide the Services, Aligned Paths requires informed consent from the individual responsible for engaging the Company. Agreeing to this policy is equivalent to a signature. If the student is under the age of 18, consent must be provided by a parent or legal guardian who has the legal authority to act on behalf of the Student. Informed consent includes an understanding of the nature of the Services, the associated costs, and how the Client's or Student's, as applicable, personal information will be collected, used, and disclosed.

In addition to the consent provided by signing this Agreement, please note that participation in Service sessions (the "Sessions") shall be deemed to constitute ongoing consent to the provision of those Services.

• About the services

Tutoring, educational services, coaching, and related services are broad fields that can vary significantly depending on the approach used and the relationship between the Educational Service Provider and the student. Generally, the Services are collaborative in nature and take place within a supportive environment. They are designed to help the Student learn, grow, and achieve their educational and personal goals, while also supporting their development of new strategies for studying, self-care, overcoming obstacles, and fostering long-term success.

Aligned Paths is committed to tailoring its Services to meet the individual needs of each Student. All Services are designed to reflect the Student's unique learning style, goals, and educational context, as identified through collaborative discussions with the Student or Student and Client, as applicable.

Throughout the process, we encourage the Student to keep the Educational Service Provider informed about their experience through in-Session feedback. The Student is welcome to ask questions, raise concerns, and share feedback regularly. Open communication between Aligned Paths, the Educational Service Provider(s), the Client, and the Student, will help ensure that the Student receives maximum value from the Sessions.

• Scheduling

The Client and Student, as applicable, shall determine the frequency of Sessions in consultation with the Educational Service Provider. The Client is free to end the Sessions at any time. Each Session is typically one (1) hour long, unless a different Session length is established by mutual agreement between the Client and the Educational Service Provider, as applicable. Clients must cancel sessions, 24hs before the session start, or they will be responsible for the full rate.

• Session Dissatisfaction, Scheduling, and Cancellation policy

Students must cancel sessions 24 hours ahead of time, or they will be charged for the full session. If the student is dissatisfied with the session, the are responsible for paying the educational service provider for the full time passed in the session, but may end the session early; at this point, it is at the discretion of the service provider if they will charge a full or partial rate for the session. However, if the student has any additional sessions with the tutor, with whom they are dissatisfied, within the 24h cancellation period, they may cancel any upcoming sessions free of charge.

• Use of Session Time

All Services provided under this Agreement shall be delivered exclusively during scheduled Session time. All session time is billed.

We would like to emphasize that we value the time of our tutors, and to assist them in maintaining work-life balance, we do not offer complimentary support between lessons. This helps our service providers to maintain work-life balance, and to remain in a position to show up - in every session - with full focus on you or your child's education; our tutors are only required to provide services and communications in paid lesson times, and we kindly request that you do not request unpaid work from our service providers.

If you desire extra support (lesson planning outside of session, communication with schools, emails with parents, or so on), you must book a session with the service provider; the tutor can assist you there.

• Foundational First Sessions

The first scheduled Session will be devoted to establishing the foundation for the Student's learning plan. This includes a conversation about the Student's learning style, educational goals, academic background, and preferences regarding teaching and communication. This Session is intended to guide the structure and approach of future Sessions. This discussion will take place directly with the Student. If the Student is under the age of 18, the Client, acting as legal guardian, is welcome and encouraged to attend and participate in the first Session along with the Student.

Note that, as we value the time of all of our tutors, and we aim to keep our costs low, we do not offer free trial sessions (some tutors may elect to offer this, but it is neither a requirement of request for them to work with us). We value all of the time of our tutors, and we want them to be compensated for all the work they do with and for you.

That being said, it is understandable that you may you desire support, in selecting the best service provider for you or your child, you may reach out to our administrative team for a complimentary meet-and-greet or matching meeting. We appreciate your understanding.

• Communication Policy

All communication regarding the Student, whether with a parent, guardian, or other authorized third party, must take place during a pre-scheduled Session designated for that purpose and attended jointly with the Student, except where doing so would pose a risk to the Student's safety or well-being. All communication times are billed, at the service provider's hourly rate.

As outlined above, the initial Session serves as a foundational opportunity to explore the Student's learning style, goals, and needs. A parent or guardian is welcome to attend this introductory discussion along with the student. Any additional dedicated conversations requested by a parent or guardian - such as discussions about the Student's progress, collaboration with school staff, or emotional support for a parent or guardian - must be scheduled as a separate Session through the teaching platform. These Sessions must be attended jointly with the Student (as applicable).

Informal check-ins by anyone other than the Student, unscheduled drop-ins at the end of Sessions, or requests for conversations to occur outside of scheduled Session time are not permitted.

Although Clients and Students, as applicable, may send communications and materials to the Educational Service Provider through the platform outside of Session time, the Educational Service Provider will only check communications and/or engage with materials during Session time.

• **Student-Centered Approach **

As a general practice, and unless there is a clear and justifiable reason otherwise, any discussion regarding the Student must include the Student. Aligned Paths requires advance approval for any conversation about a Student to take place without the Student present. This policy is designed to promote transparency, empower the Student, support Student agency, and foster a respectful, collaborative educational relationship. Note that all content of conversations about a student, without the student present, may be shared with the student (unless there is a justifiable reason, and the educational service provider both agrees to this, and consents to this prior to the conversation).

• Extraordinary Preparation Time

For tutoring clients, our students are required to come to the lesson, with all the material they wish to work on, and our service providers are expected to have the expertise to move ahead, without additional lesson planning time. For lessons (such as language or arts), the student and the teacher will refine the goals of the lessons, and refine a plan together.

From time to time, there may be a request by the Client or Student necessitates preparation beyond the Educational Service Provider's standard competencies, Aligned Paths may require the Client to book additional Session time, to be used exclusively by the Educational Service Provider for non-interactive lesson preparation. If you believe there is an issue with the preparedness of the service provider, you are invited to reach out to Sam at director@aligned-paths.com, to explore if the request falls in or outside of the standard expectations of competencies of the provider. At this point, we will assess if it is reasonable to pay the service provider to engage in lesson planning, switch providers, and/or support the service provider in delivering services.

• Confidentiality

All information provided (verbal, written, and otherwise) to Aligned Paths (and, within the Aligned Paths team) about the Client and Student, as applicable, will be kept confidential, except under the following circumstances:

• Aligned Paths' Educational Service Providers may be legally and/or professionally obliged to disclose limited information to necessary persons and/or authorities without the Client or Student's permission if there is clear evidence that the Client or Student is in serious danger to themself or others.

• Aligned Paths' Educational Service Providers may be legally and/or professionally obliged to breach confidentiality if they learn of an incident of abuse to a vulnerable person (such as a child, person with a disability, or elderly person) by the Client, Student, or anyone else.

• Aligned Paths and its Educational Service Providers are legally obliged to report cases of known or suspected abuse of a child under the age of 19.

• Emails, calls or other communications with the Aligned Paths Team, regarding the student, tutor, or services may be shared within the Aligned Paths team, as well as with the involved parties.

• Administrative information may be shared between members of the Aligned Paths team, to facilitate the provision of services.

• There are some situations where a court can mandate that Aligned Paths release the Client or Student's records or where disclosure of the records is necessary for legal reasons, including (but not limited to) in order to defend against a legal or professional complaint filed with the court or any regulatory body.

• Your Educational Service Provider may also share information provided to them by the Client or Student with colleagues for the purpose of consultation and/or supervisors in the course of supervision.

• The Client understands that electronic communication, including email, may not be fully secure and could be subject to unauthorized access or interception. By choosing to communicate or share materials via email, the Client accepts this risk and agrees that Aligned Paths, and its representatives shall not be held liable for any unauthorized access, data breach, or loss of confidentiality resulting from the use of email or other electronic communication methods.

• Virtual sessions, and Privacy

In virtual Sessions, the Educational Service Provider will use a videoconferencing platform for the Session. The Client acknowledges that there is a non-zero risk that privacy could be violated, given that information is being transmitted through the internet. The Student shall participate in virtual Sessions from a private location and to use secure, password-protected internet connections rather than public Wi-Fi.

• Recording of Sessions

Recording of any portion of a Session, whether by audio, video, screenshot, or any other means, is strictly prohibited, unless explicitly initiated by the Client or Student, as applicable, and with the clear, prior consent of the Educational Service Provider and student. If you wish to record a session, the student and service provider must consent here, prior to any recording:

https://form.jotform.com/252621008667052

• Session Fees

The fee for each Session shall be determined by the individual Educational Service Provider and shall be clearly advertised at the time of booking. Clients acknowledge and agree that the applicable fee is set by the Educational Service Provider and may vary between individual Providers. Payment of the advertised fee constitutes acceptance of the terms for that specific Session. All payments are due at the beginning of session.

• Termination

Aligned Paths or the Client may terminate this Agreement without cause by providing the other party with five (5) days' written notice of their intention to terminate. In the event of a material breach of this Agreement by either party, the non-breaching party may terminate this Agreement immediately upon written notice.

Termination of this Agreement shall not discharge any obligations that expressly or by their nature survive such termination, including but not limited to confidentiality and payment obligations. Upon termination, Aligned Paths shall be entitled to payment for all Services provided up to the date of termination, and the Client shall be obligated to settle any outstanding fees.

• No guarantee of results

Though Aligned Paths will always act to achieve the best outcome for its Students and Clients, Aligned Paths cannot and does not, either expressly or impliedly, guarantee any outcome of its Services. Aligned Paths expressly disclaims any liability in the event that the student or Client are not satisfied with the results of the Services. Results will be largely dependent on the unique circumstances for each Student and other variables which are outside of Aligned Paths', and the educational service provider's, control.

• Limitation of Liability

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the total liability of Aligned Paths, whether in contract, tort, or otherwise, arising out of or in connection with this Agreement, shall not exceed the total amount of fees paid by the Client to Aligned Paths under this Agreement. The client recognizes that all Aligned Paths Inc. Tutors are contract workers, and do not represent the company; the company also holds no liability for their conduct, or behavior. If a dispute arises, between the client and a contractor regarding the services provided by the contractor,, that results in legal action, Aligned Paths is releases itself from legal liability. Under no circumstances shall Aligned Paths be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, or exemplary damages, including but not limited to loss of profits, even if Aligned Paths has been advised of the possibility of such damages.

• Cancellation Policy

Keeping Session appointments is an important part of committing to educational progress. If a Student or Client must cancel a Session appointment, they must do so through the platform at least twenty-four (24) hours in advance of the appointment time. Sessions cancelled within less than twenty-four (24) hours will be charged at the full rate. No-shows or failure to attend a scheduled Session without any notice will also result in charging the full rate.

• Governing Law

By signing this Agreement, the Client agrees that this Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Province of British Columbia and federal laws of Canada applicable therein, and each party hereby irrevocably attorns to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Vancouver, British Columbia for the resolution of any disputes arising under or in connection with this Agreement. All sums of money referred to in this Agreement are expressed in Canadian dollars unless otherwise stated.

• Good Faith Dispute Resolution

The parties agree to work collaboratively and in good faith to resolve any disputes that may arise under this Agreement. In the event of a dispute, both parties shall make a sincere and concerted effort to resolve the dispute amicably before initiating any formal claim or legal proceeding. This shall involve direct communication and negotiation between the parties or their designated representatives. This commitment to good faith dispute resolution is a precondition to the commencement of any legal or equitable claims by either party, with the intent to foster a cooperative approach and minimize the need for external dispute resolution mechanisms.

• Entire Agreement

This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties and supersedes all prior and contemporaneous agreements, understandings and discussions, whether oral or written, and there are no other warranties, agreements or representations between the parties except as expressly set forth herein.

• Severability

If any provision of this Agreement shall be held to be illegal, invalid, or unenforceable in any jurisdiction, the decision shall not affect any other covenants or provisions of this Agreement or the application of any other covenant or provision, and such provision shall be deemed amended to narrow its application to the extent necessary to make the provision enforceable according to applicable law and shall be enforced as amended.

• Acknowledgement

By acknowledging this Agreement online, you, the Client (or, the client and the parent or guardian is under 19 years of age), agree that you have read this Agreement in its entirety, understand its contents, and are signing this Agreement freely and voluntarily, without duress or undue influence from any party, having been given an opportunity to ask any and all relevant questions relating to the provision of Services detailed herein.