Terms of Use

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using The Rooted Learner website at therootedlearner.com (“the Site”), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not use the Site.

We reserve the right to update these terms at any time. Continued use of the Site after changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised terms.

2. About Our Services

The Rooted Learner provides educational resources, including but not limited to:

• Downloadable lesson plans, curriculum materials, and teaching resources
• Teacher tools and technology tutorials
• Curated product recommendations and affiliate-linked favorites
• Educational consulting services for schools, districts, and individual educators
• Blog articles with teaching strategies and professional development content
• A weekly email newsletter

3. User Accounts

Some features of the Site require a registered account. When creating an account, you agree to:

• Provide accurate, current, and complete information
• Maintain and promptly update your account information
• Keep your password secure and confidential
• Accept responsibility for all activity under your account
• Notify us immediately of any unauthorized use of your account

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these terms, contain false information, or are used for unauthorized purposes.

4. Intellectual Property & Content Ownership

What you may do:

• Download and use purchased resources for your personal classroom or homeschool use
• Share links to our content (with proper attribution)
• Print resources for use within your own educational setting

What you may not do:

• Redistribute, resell, or share downloaded resources with others (including via email, shared drives, or social media)
• Modify our resources and claim them as your own
• Use our content for commercial purposes without written permission
• Copy, scrape, or reproduce website content in bulk
• Remove copyright notices or attribution from any materials

If you'd like to use our content beyond personal classroom use (for professional development, district-wide distribution, etc.), please contact us to discuss licensing options.

5. Purchases & Digital Products

When purchasing resources through the Site:

• All sales of digital products are final. Due to the nature of downloadable content, we generally do not offer refunds once a file has been accessed or downloaded.
• If you experience a technical issue with a download, please contact us and we will work to resolve it.
• Prices are subject to change without notice. Promotional pricing is valid only during the stated promotion period.
• Purchases grant you a single-user license unless otherwise specified.

6. Affiliate Links & Recommendations

Some links on our Site (particularly in our Favorites section) are affiliate links. This means we may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through these links, at no additional cost to you.

We only recommend products and tools we have personally used or thoroughly vetted. Affiliate relationships never influence our editorial content or recommendations. All opinions are our own.

7. Consulting Services

Consulting engagements (including AssessAlign and other services) are subject to separate agreements between The Rooted Learner and the contracting school, district, or organization. General terms include:

• Consulting services are provided on an as-agreed basis with specific deliverables outlined in a proposal or contract
• Content created during consulting engagements remains the intellectual property of The Rooted Learner unless otherwise agreed in writing
• Cancellation and rescheduling policies are specified in individual service agreements

8. Acceptable Use

You agree not to use the Site to:

• Violate any applicable laws or regulations
• Infringe on the intellectual property rights of others
• Upload or transmit malicious code, viruses, or harmful content
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to our systems or other users' accounts
• Scrape, crawl, or use automated tools to extract content without permission
• Engage in any activity that disrupts or interferes with the Site's functionality

9. Disclaimer of Warranties

The Site and all content, resources, and services are provided “as is” and “as available” without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. While we strive to provide accurate, high-quality educational content:

• We do not guarantee that our resources will meet every student's or classroom's specific needs
• Educational outcomes may vary based on implementation, student population, and other factors
• We do not guarantee uninterrupted or error-free access to the Site
• Blog content and tutorials are provided for informational purposes and should not be considered a substitute for professional development or specialized training

10. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, The Rooted Learner and its owner shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of the Site or our resources. Our total liability for any claim related to our services shall not exceed the amount you paid for the specific product or service in question.

11. Governing Law

These Terms of Use are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Maryland, United States, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. Any disputes arising from these terms shall be resolved in the courts located in Howard County, Maryland.

12. AI-Generated Content

Some content and features on The Rooted Learner, including within AssessAlign, may be generated or assisted by artificial intelligence (AI). Regarding AI-generated content:

• AI-assisted content (such as assessment questions, lesson suggestions, and instructional feedback) is provided as a starting point and should be reviewed by qualified educators before classroom use.
• We do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or appropriateness of AI-generated content for every educational context.
• The Rooted Learner retains intellectual property rights over AI-generated content created through our platform.
• Users are responsible for reviewing and adapting AI-generated materials to meet their specific curriculum requirements, state standards, and student needs.
• We continuously monitor and improve our AI systems to ensure quality and alignment with educational best practices.

13. AssessAlign Platform Terms

If you use AssessAlign (our assessment orchestration platform), the following additional terms apply:

• Data Handling: Student assessment data entered into AssessAlign is stored securely and encrypted at rest and in transit. See our Privacy Policy for details on AI data processing.
• Availability: While we strive for high availability, AssessAlign is currently in beta and we do not guarantee a specific uptime SLA. We will notify users of planned maintenance windows.
• Account Management: School and district accounts may designate administrators who can manage user access, data visibility, and platform settings.
• Data Export: You may export your data from AssessAlign at any time in standard formats (CSV, PDF).
• Beta Terms: During the beta period, features may change, and we welcome feedback to improve the platform. Beta users receive priority access to new features and introductory pricing.
• Termination: Upon account termination, your data will be available for export for 30 days, after which it will be permanently deleted.

14. Satisfaction Guarantee

For digital lesson packs and curriculum materials:

• We offer a 7-day satisfaction guarantee from the date of purchase. If you are not satisfied with a lesson pack, contact us within 7 days for a full refund.
• This guarantee applies to first-time purchases of each product only.
• Refund requests should be submitted via our contact form or email at hello@therootedlearner.com.
• This guarantee does not apply to consulting services, which are governed by individual service agreements.