ACADEMICA INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

DUAL DIPLOMA PROGRAM

STUDENT/ PARENT
HANDBOOK

Academica International Studies Student/Parent Handbook Page 1

MISSION STATEMENT

The Mission of the Academica International Studies Dual Diploma Program is to give students in
countries outside of the United States the opportunity to earn a U.S. high school diploma while
simultaneously earning their secondary school diploma in their country of origin. The purpose is to
provide an additional competitive advantage to these students by fostering the development of self-
directed and responsible 21st century life-long learners through the thoughtful use of interactive,
media-rich educational opportunities in a flexible, student-centered, virtual learning environment.

ADMISSIONS AND ENROLLMENT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

Academica International Studies, hereinafter referred to as “AIS,” has instituted admission and
enrollment policies and procedures for its Dual Diploma Program. The purpose of the program is to
make instruction available to secondary students using online and distance learning technology in the
nontraditional classroom.

Enrollment Procedures

To enroll, a student must complete the application process, take an English language Admissions Test,
and be accepted. Once accepted, the student will be given a username and password to access their
courses. Courses will be open beginning the first day of the semester.

All students will be placed in core classes and may have the ability to choose elective courses according
to the Course of Study. Students will receive a separate program for English if applicable, the
Student/Parent Handbook, a QuickStart, and any applicable materials needed.

GENERAL ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION POLICIES

AIS monitors student attendance, participation, and performance to ensure that students meet
compulsory attendance requirements and are making progress toward successful completion of the
course or program as specified in the program’s attendance policies.

Dual Diploma students are expected to own their own computer, have internet access, and attend and
participate in their online courses as they would attend and participate in a traditional classroom
course. Expected number of logins will vary depending upon the course. Students should login at a
minimum of three times weekly and spend approximately 3-5 hours per course, per week,
studying. Students are also required to follow the guidelines provided by their instructor for
completing the modules in the English program if applicable. Students will also check their email
daily as teachers send out numerous announcements, updates, and grade reports via email.

If there is no activity or login from a student in one week, the teacher may contact the student and
Program Director. Unless prior communications have been received from the student, parent, or
home school regarding the student’s absence, a student who fails to log in and participate in his/her
online course for twenty (20) days may be academically withdrawn from the program. If a student
does not log in to a course for seven (7) consecutive days for any reason, it is his or her
responsibility to notify the teacher.

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Attendance is measured by time logged in, contributions made through communication via discussion
threads, e-mails, live sessions, and/or through the submission of assignments, projects, and tests. Each
time a student enters a course, participation is automatically recorded and the length of time in each
area is noted.

STUDENT DROP POLICY

Only through continuous communication can students be successful in an online course. Within each
course the instructor outlines the weekly minimum work requirements. It is essential that the student
and instructor maintain regular contact.
All students are required to adhere to the following statement upon registration:

“I acknowledge that during the first five (5) days of each semester of being enrolled into my AIS course(s),
I may drop the course(s) without penalty. This provision shall not apply if I have already started working in
my course(s) for said semester. I understand that for each online course there are a minimum number of
assignments that must be completed each week. Failure to submit the minimum number of assignments on a
weekly basis may result in my removal from the Dual Diploma Program.”

To ensure that our students are aware of this commitment, the three-part process below will be
followed:

1. If the student does not submit the expected number of assignment(s) according to the course
calendar, the student, parent, and Program Director will receive an email from the instructor
notifying the student that he or she is behind. The student is to respond to the teacher and
begin completing assignments.

2. If the student does not respond to the teacher and begin submitting assignments or does not
begin to submit an acceptable number of assignments each week, the Academic Coach will
send an email to the student, parent, and Program Director.

3. If there is still no response from the student and the student still does not submit an acceptable
number of assignments according to the course calendar, AIS will assume that the student
does not intend to remain in the Dual Diploma Program, and the student will be academically
withdrawn.

ACADEMIC GRADING PERFORMANCE SCALE

The following is the grading scale for AIS Dual Diploma courses:

A Superior progress 90-100

B Commendable 80-89
C Average progress 70-79
D Lowest acceptable progress 60-69
F Failure 0-59

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GRADE POINT AVERAGE

Students must earn a Minimum Overall Unweighted Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.0 as part of the
AIS graduation requirements.

Unweighted Weighted Grade

Letter Grade
Grade Points Points
Honors
A 4.00 5.00
B 3.00 4.00
C 2.00 3.00
D 1.00 1.00
F 0.00 0.00

When calculating Overall Unweighted GPA, we use the following point system:
A=4.00 B=3.00 C=2.00 D=1.00 F= 0.00

A student’s Overall Unweighted GPA is calculated by multiplying the grade points corresponding to
each completed enrollment by the number of credits the course is worth, adding those numbers
together, and dividing that total by the number of credits completed to date.

Weighted GPA takes the difficulty of a class into account. More challenging courses, like honors, are
worth more than a 4.0 on a weighted scale as in chart above. Weighted GPA is calculated using the
steps outlined above using the Weighted Grade Points, if applicable.

ACADEMIC WATCH POLICY

Students in the AIS Dual Diploma Program are expected to maintain a certain grade percentage over
the course of the semester in each class which they are enrolled. In order to graduate from the Dual
Diploma Program, a student must earn a minimum Overall Unweighted Grade Point Average (GPA)
of 2.0 (70% minimum average in all courses). Should a student’s grade drop below a 70% in any course
during the semester, the student will be notified by their instructor and academic coach.

To ensure that our students are aware of this commitment and graduation requirements, the following
processes will be followed:

1. If a student’s grade drops below a 70% in any class, the student, parent, and Program Director
will receive an email from the instructor notifying them of the situation and a reminder of the
Academic Policies of the program. The student should respond to the instructor and begin
submitting assignments.

2. If the student does not respond to the teacher and begin submitting assignments and raise
their grade(s), the Academic Coach will send an email to the student, parent, and Program
Director.

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 3. If at the end of the semester, the student is still not making appropriate progress and not
passing the course(s), he/she may be academically withdrawn from the Dual Diploma
Program or placed on Academic Watch for the following semester.

4. A student who is placed on Academic Watch has one semester to improve their grades to meet
the graduation requirements in order to continue in the Dual Diploma Program. The student
will be closely monitored by their instructor and academic coach. If at the end of the Academic
Watch semester, the student is still not meeting the minimum graduation requirements of the
Dual Diploma Program and is not passing their course(s), he/she will be academically
withdrawn from the Program.

ACADEMIC PROBATION POLICY

In order to earn the Dual Diploma, the student’s official home country secondary school transcripts
must be provided to AIS, an official English translation of the student’s secondary home country
transcripts if requested, the student must graduate with their home country secondary diploma, and
the student must meet the minimum 24 credit graduation requirements and minimum 2.0 Overall
Unweighted Grade Point Average (GPA) (70% minimum average in all courses) as outlined in the
chart below.

To ensure that our students are aware of this commitment and graduation requirements, the following
processes will be followed:

1. After a course is completed, the student’s GPA is calculated based on their final course grades.
If a student passes their course(s) but the student’s Overall Unweighted GPA falls below the
minimum graduation requirement of 2.0, the student will be placed on Academic Probation
for the following school year/semester as he/she is at risk of not meeting the minimum
graduation requirements.

2. As stated above, when calculating Overall Unweighted GPA, we use the following point
system:

A=4.00 B=3.00 C=2.00 D=1.00 F= 0.00

A student’s Overall Unweighted GPA is calculated by multiplying the grade points

corresponding to each completed enrollment by the number of credits the course is worth,
adding those numbers together, and dividing that total by the number of credits completed
to date.

3. The instructor and academic coach will closely monitor the student placed on Academic
Probation during the following school year/semester to support and remind them of
graduation requirements.

4. If the student continues to underperform and does not increase the Overall Unweighted GPA
to the minimum graduation requirement, he or she is at risk of not graduating with the Dual
Diploma due to not meeting the graduation requirements or of being academically withdrawn
from the Dual Diploma Program if they do not pass their courses.

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PROMOTION GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

Graduation from the Dual Diploma Program and progression through the grades will be in accordance
with the completion of the minimum credits set forth. In order to earn the Dual Diploma, the
student’s official home country secondary school transcripts must be provided to AIS, an official
English translation of home country secondary transcripts if requested, the student must graduate
with their home country secondary diploma, and meet the minimum 24 credit graduation requirements
and minimum 2.0 Overall Unweighted GPA as outlined in the chart below.

The academic grades in all courses are to be based on the student’s degree of mastery of the
instructional objectives and competencies for the course. The determination of the specific grade a
student receives will be based on careful consideration of all aspects of each student’s performance
such as coursework, supplemental projects, tests, and other online assessments. Progress reports and
report cards will serve as the primary means of communicating student progress and achievement of
the standards for promotion.

COURSE OF STUDY

A minimum of 6 of the 24 graduation requirements must be taken at Academica International Studies.

All students will take the 4 Required Courses: 2 Credits of English, United States History, and United
States Government/Economics. Students will take 2 credits from the Electives.

ACADEMICA INTERNATIONAL STUDIES GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

To obtain the AIS High School diploma, the following course requirements must be completed.

Course Requirements
Subject Area
24 Credits
4 credits, with major concentration in composition, reading
Native Language & Literature
for information, and literature
English 4 credits
4 credits, one of which must be Algebra 1 or equivalent and
Mathematics
one of which must be Geometry or its equivalent
3 credits, two of which must have a laboratory component
Science and one of which must be Biology 1 or equivalent course or
series of courses
1 credit of World History
1 credit of US History
Social Studies
.5 credit of US Government
.5 credit of Economics
1 credit of fine or performing arts, speech and debate, or
Fine Arts or Performing Arts
practical arts
Physical Education/Health 1 credit in physical education to include integration of health

Electives 4 credits
Minimum Cumulative Overall Unweighted GPA of 2.0 on
Grade Point Average
4.0 scale

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STUDENT'S RESPONSIBILITIES

Students are expected to maintain an appropriate pace throughout the course and take care to not fall
behind. He or she must be proactive in giving their best effort to attain proficient grades in each class
at all times.

If the student has difficulties with the course, assignments, or with time management, he or she should
contact the teacher for support and guidance.

SUBMISSION OF ASSIGNMENTS

Students complete and submit assignments, projects, quizzes, and tests to the Learning Management
System (LMS). Once the teacher grades the students' work, the students can see the grade they receive
and any teacher feedback through the LMS as well.

RELEASE POLICY

As a student of AIS, you grant permission to the School and/or its assigns, employees, contractors,
or agents, full permission to use, publish, and copyright, either in whole or in part, direct quotes,
photographs, and/or videos made by/of you. Such material may be used with or without your name
in all forms of media, including the Internet and social media, for the purposes of advertising,
promotion, and the development of the School and its goals. You give this permission without
expectation of any remuneration.

STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT

Internet access is required for all students, but access must be used in a responsible, safe, efficient,
ethical, and legal manner. With expanded access to electronic information, availability of inappropriate
material is not uncommon. Some sites contain illegal, defamatory, inaccurate, or offensive
information. Although it is impossible to control such misuses, we believe that with responsible use,
the benefits of the Internet as an educational tool outweigh the negatives. We especially appreciate
partnering with parents to teach responsible Internet use.

Please review the following rules and expectations carefully:

 Students are responsible for good behavior on the network. Always use a computer in a
way that shows consideration and respect. It is not acceptable to use obscene, profane,
threatening, or disrespectful language or images.

 We take integrity and authenticity of student work very seriously. Do not cut, copy, or
plagiarize Internet content or the work of your online classmates. Teachers do utilize
technologies to check for authenticity. Copying, knowingly allowing others to copy from you,
and/or misusing Internet content could result in removal from our program and other
disciplinary action.

 Students may not use images or information from AIS platforms, resources, emails, or

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 documents in fraudulent communications or images.

 Live Sessions are an integral part of our program. Students are expected to attend and
participate in these sessions according to the Master Calendar. AIS follows the American
calendar and United States federal holidays. If a student is on a trip or exchange program
during the weeks of live sessions, they are still expected to make arrangements to attend the
session during the scheduled week. Conduct during the live sessions is similar to that of a
brick-and-mortar classroom setting. Students should not eat, drink, vape, smoke, or have any
inappropriate classroom behavior during the sessions. They should be actively listening and
participating in the lesson and always ensure that their audio and video are functioning
properly.

 Security is a high priority, especially when the system involves many users. If you can
identify a security problem in the school's network, notify your instructor.

 It is illegal to create harmful computer viruses.

 Email is not private. Never say anything via email that you wouldn't mind seeing on the
school bulletin board or in the local newspaper.

 Beware of emails from anyone, particularly adults you don’t know, asking for personal
information, attempting to arrange meetings, or engaging in personal contact. Alert your
teacher of any message you receive that is inappropriate or makes you feel uncomfortable.

 Email with your online classmates should be course-related. It is prohibited to send

unwelcome email to your online classmates.

 Email addresses, usernames, etc. that use profanity or may be construed as offensive,
shall not be permitted for correspondence. Administration reserves the right to determine
if student email addresses, usernames, etc. are inappropriate. When necessary, students will be
asked to use an alternative email address, username, etc. or be refused for participation in the
program.

 Protect your password. Keep it secret from anyone except your parents.

 Administrators will cooperate fully in any investigation related to any illegal activities
conducted through Internet access. In the event there is a claim that you have violated this
policy, you will be provided with notice of the suspected violation and have an opportunity to
present an explanation. Any violations may result in removal from the program, as well as
other disciplinary or legal action.

INTERNET USAGE POLICY

All Internet data that is composed, transmitted, or received via our computer communications systems
is considered to be part of the official records of AIS and, as such, is subject to disclosure to the
Program Director, parents, administration or other third parties. Consequently, AIS expects students,
staff, and all stakeholders to abide by the school’s internet usage policy:

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Data that is composed, transmitted, accessed, or received via the Internet must not contain content
that could be considered discriminatory, offensive, obscene, threatening, harassing, intimidating, or
disruptive to any other person. Examples of unacceptable content may include, but are not limited to,
weapons, sexual comments or images, racial slurs, gender-specific comments, or any other comments
or images that could reasonably offend someone on the basis of race, age, sex, religious or political
beliefs, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Abuse of the Education Portal provided by the School in violation of school policies will result in
disciplinary action. Employees may also be held personally liable for any violations of this policy. The
following behaviors are examples of previously stated or additional actions and activities that are
prohibited and can result in disciplinary action:

 Sending or posting discriminatory, harassing, or threatening messages or images

 Stealing, using, or disclosing someone else's code or password without authorization
 Copying, pirating, or downloading software and electronic files without permission
 Sending or posting confidential material, trade secrets, or proprietary information outside of
the organization
 Violating copyright law
 Using images or information from AIS platforms, resources, emails, or documents in
fraudulent communications or images
 Cutting, copying, or plagiarizing Internet content or the work of online classmates
 Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to complete assignments and claiming it is one’s own work
 Engaging in unauthorized transactions that may incur a cost to the organization or initiate
unwanted Internet services and transmissions
 Participating in the viewing or exchange of pornography or obscene materials
 Sending or posting messages that defame or slander other individuals
 Attempting to break into the computer system of another organization or person
 Refusing to cooperate with a security investigation
 Using the Education Portal for political causes or activities, religious activities, or any sort of
gambling
 Jeopardizing the security of the organization's electronic communications systems
 Sending or posting messages that disparage another organization's products or services
 Passing off personal views as representing those of the organization
 Sending anonymous e-mail messages
 Engaging in any other illegal activities

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY POLICY

What is academic integrity?

 Academic integrity means that all work submitted is the student’s own work.

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Why is academic integrity important?

 When students submit an assignment that is not their own original work, there are two issues
involved:
▪ Students are earning credit for learning material for which they have not demonstrated
mastery.
▪ They may be violating the policies of Academica International Studies.

What are some examples of academic integrity violations?

 There are various kinds of academic integrity violations. One example is “plagiarism” and
another is “cheating.”

▪ Plagiarism: To steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one’s own. To use
(another’s production) without crediting the source. Some examples are, but not limited
to the following:
◦ Copying and pasting a report from the Internet and representing it as your own work
◦ Copying any other work and not properly citing authorship

▪ Cheating: To influence or lead by deceit, trick, or artifice. To practice fraud or trickery,

to violate rules dishonestly. Some examples are, but not limited to the following:
◦ Providing questions/answers/ work to another student
◦ Receiving questions/answers/work from another student
◦ Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to complete assignments and claiming it is one’s own
work

Ensuring Academic Integrity

 AIS uses a variety of tools to ensure the integrity of student work that may include but is not
limited to the following:

▪ Plagiarism and AI Detection Software - This tool compares student work against a
variety of databases and can detect plagiarism and AI. This database also compares
students’ work against other students’ work, as well as work found on the Internet.

▪ Academic Integrity Database - Database of student integrity incidences or violations.

This database is used to monitor the number of student integrity issues.

▪ Teacher Expertise - Instructors have extensive classroom experience. Their expertise is

often a guide in identifying the level of originality in student work.

▪ Academic Integrity Reporting Policy - Community members, program directors,

parents, and students can call or email any academic integrity-related issue anonymously.

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Consequences of Violation of this Policy

A variety of consequences will be administered when students are caught cheating, plagiarizing, using
AI inappropriately, or violating any Academic Integrity Policy. These consequences range from
resubmission of an assignment up to expulsion from the program. Additionally, final grades may be
rescinded if a student is found to have cheated or plagiarized after the grade has been posted to a
transcript.

 Students are responsible for submitting their own, original work and are expected to:
▪ Participate in a welcome meeting during which components of our academic integrity
program will be discussed
▪ Ask any questions regarding plagiarism or cheating if they are not sure

 Parents, as partners in supporting student learning, are expected to:

▪ Ensure that their student’s work is authentic and original
▪ Monitor, via their guardian and email accounts, their child’s progress and teacher
communication
▪ Ask any questions regarding plagiarism or cheating if they are not sure

 Teachers, as stakeholders in ensuring the highest standards of academic integrity, are

expected to:
▪ Act as a resource for student questions
▪ Submit various assignments in the database to verify authenticity
▪ Coordinate any academic integrity issues with the Program Director and administration
▪ Verify student mastery of content through discussion based and authentic assessments
▪ Participate in any mandated trainings or staff development

 Academic Coaches are expected to:

▪ Support academic integrity
▪ Support teachers in academic integrity initiatives
▪ Support the administration of consequences

STUDENT CODE OF HONOR

A student should NEVER:

 Share their Username and Password with anyone other than their Parents
 Use anyone else’s Username and Password
 Obtain or assist anyone to obtain unauthorized access to the network
 Post their or anyone else’s personal information (i.e. address, email, telephone, etc.)
 Post private messages sent to them

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TEACHER AVAILABILITY AND RESPONSIVENESS

Frequent student-teacher communication in the digital learning environment requires commitment

above and beyond the traditional workday by staff in a brick-and-mortar environment, as
communication is the critical element to the success of the program. Instant Message (IM)
communication and email are considered essential and are expected on a regular basis. AIS makes the
following commitments to its students, parents, and Program Director:

 All email, voicemail and instant message communication will be responded to within 24-48
hours during the work week.
 Teachers will establish office hours and will be available to students and parents during those
hours on school days that the staff member is working. Instructors will be available to answer
all course-related questions during scheduled office hours. During those hours, instructors
will be available to answer emails and instant messages. Each request for correspondence will
be answered in as timely of a fashion as possible with a minimum turnaround target of 24
hours. In the case that an instant reply is not viable, no response to student/parent contact
shall exceed 48 hours from the time of initiation during the work week.
 Teachers will communicate regularly with students and program directors throughout each
semester.
 Teachers will update course announcement pages frequently. During the first week of the
school year, all teachers will have a Welcome Meeting with their students to go over the
program’s policies and platforms.

PARENT/GUARDIAN’S RESPONSIBILITIES

As a parent/guardian of a Digital School Student, it is very important to understand the responsibilities

associated with that role. With the many distractions students have these days, it can be difficult for
some students to set aside time to work on courses when not in school. It is the responsibility of the
parent/guardian to encourage the student to manage their time in an effective way. Teachers will keep
the parent/guardian apprised of the student’s progress and will initiate contact if they fall behind in
their coursework.

Parents are expected to supervise and monitor their student’s progress throughout the duration of the
course. This can be accomplished by accessing the parental account periodically to monitor student
progress. Parents receive credentials to access the Student Information System so they can monitor
their child’s progress regularly.

Parents should support Academic Integrity. Academic Integrity is one of our core values and one of
the most important areas of focus as a learning organization. Students with Academic Integrity make
decisions based on ethics and values that will prepare them to be productive and ethical citizens.

You may contact the student’s teacher when necessary through the Program Director or via email
directly to the teacher to ask any questions that you may have.

Parents/guardians should also be aware of the course progression plan that their student is following
and use that to help plan for the child’s academic and educational future.

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PRIVACY POLICY

AIS will abide by student privacy guidelines inspired by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy
Act (FERPA) of the federal government of the United States. The following persons have access to
student records:

 Principal
 Administrative Team
 Professional Staff (Teachers, Academic Coaches, Program Directors, Counselors, the General
Counsel)

All students are provided a unique password to access online courses. It is the student's
responsibility to keep his/her password in confidence.

ANTI-DISCRIMINATION POLICY

AIS admission and enrollment policies and procedures comply with anti-discrimination provisions.

AIS does not discriminate against pupils on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin, ancestry,
creed, pregnancy, marital or parental status, sexual orientation, physical, mental, emotional, learning
disability or handicap in its education programs.
Furthermore, the criteria for admission to a program or course shall not have the effect of restricting
access by persons of a particular race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, disability, or marital status.

Discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, disability, or marital status
against a student or an employee is prohibited.

BULLYING AND HARRASSMENT POLICY

Academica International Studies prohibits unlawful harassment between members of the AIS
community, including communication of any form between students, AIS faculty and/or staff, and
any third parties directly or indirectly related to the AIS Academic Network.

AIS is committed to maintaining a working and learning environment in which students, faculty, and
staff can develop intellectually, professionally, personally, and socially. Such an atmosphere must be
free of intimidation, fear, coercion, and reprisal.

It is an expectation that all students and employees shall use all equipment and programs for the
intended educational purpose. AIS is committed to protecting its students and employees from
bullying, harassment, or inappropriate uses of computers or programs to participate in bullying
behavior. Bullying and Harassment will not be tolerated and shall be just cause for disciplinary action.

Conduct that constitutes bullying or harassment, as defined herein, is prohibited.

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Bullying, harassment, and cyber stalking are defined as inflicting physical or psychological distress,
and/or communicating words, images or language using electronic mail that causes emotional distress
and for which there is no legitimate purpose.

Any action by a student or parent deemed inappropriate will be fully investigated by the appropriate
school administrator.

Consequences for students for actions that violate the policy on bullying and harassment shall be
determined by the administrative staff and may include:

 Student/teacher/parent conference
 Suspension of email privileges
 Removal from access to courses and program

NETIQUETTE POLICY

Students are responsible for proper behavior while online. Students must always show consideration
and respect when participating in AIS classes. Obscene, profane, or threatening language online as
well as offline will not be tolerated.

Students should be cautious about email messages from anyone, particularly adults asking for personal
information, attempting to arrange meetings, or engaging in personal contact. Students should disclose
to teachers any message received that is inappropriate or that causes uncomfortable feelings.
Any distribution of unsolicited email to online classmates is prohibited. All course interaction between
teachers, parents, students, and stakeholders will be logged. Email messages to online classmates
should be limited to welcomed correspondence that is course-related. AIS administrators will
cooperate fully with any investigation related to any illegal activities conducted through the Internet.

DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS

The Administrators, in consultation with his/her designees, will determine the appropriate disciplinary
actions for student violations of the code of conduct as they arise. The severity of the offense is the
prime determiner in deciding the appropriate consequence. Any inappropriate behaviors that are
outlined in the student handbook that are reasonably considered detrimental in a school setting are
grounds for immediate removal from the AIS program. Possible actions may include but are not
limited to:

 Written and verbal warning and notification.

 Placement on “temporary conduct probation.” A student’s online academic network activities
will be monitored for the duration of the student’s current course(s) and the course(s) the
student takes in the subsequent term.
 Suspension from the AIS program for a specified period of time.
 Permanent removal from AIS.

When a violation has occurred, a report, including the date, time, and circumstances of the alleged act,
will be submitted. This report includes a description of the actions of all parties involved, names of
witnesses available and documentary evidence that supports the charge.

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Students wishing to report a violation should file the report through the Program Director. Upon
receipt of the report, AIS, in consultation with the Program Director will determine if an AIS policy
may have been violated by the student. If there is sufficient information, the student and parent will
be contacted in writing informing the student of the charges in sufficient detail, including the time and
place the alleged violation occurred and the penalty that would be appropriate if the student did in
fact violate the policy.

WEB PRIVACY POLICY

USER INFORMATION (Applicable to Students in the European Union)

ACADEMICA INTERNATIONAL STUDIES, hereinafter the CONTROLLER, is responsible for

the processing of the User’s personal data and informs them that the data will be processed in accordance
with the provisions of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of 27 April 2016 (GDPR) on the protection of
individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data.
Therefore, the CONTROLLER provides the following information to the User regarding the processing
of User data:

Purpose of the processing: to maintain a commercial relationship with the User. The planned
processing operations are:

 Sending commercial advertising communications by email, fax, SMS, MMS, social

communities or by any other electronic or physical means, present or future, that make it
possible to carry out commercial communications. These communications will be made by
the CONTROLLER and will be related to their products and services, or those of their
partners or suppliers with whom they have reached an agreement. In this case, the third
parties will never have access to personal data.
 Conducting statistical studies.
 Processing orders, queries or any type of request made by the user through any of the
available contact methods.
 Sending newsletters.
 For users who are current, former, or prospective students of an education institution
operated by CONTROLLER: In furtherance of the legitimate interest of CONTROLLER,
CONTROLLER shall engage in the collection and retention of student data that is standard
and typical for a school to collect and retain for a student’s admission into, and progression
through, an academic program, including but not limited to such information as the student
names, dates and locations of birth, grade levels, gender information, nationalities, native
languages, e-mail address(es), phone number(s), video/voice chat screen names, prospective
graduation dates, parents’ names and contact information, home schools, academic history
and performance data from home school programs (including home school transcript
information), academic performance/grades in CONTROLLER’s academic program, and
other information pertaining to student’s tenure in CONTROLLER’s academic program.

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Legal basis of the processing: The Data Subject's consent; legitimate interest of CONTROLLER
to provide educational services and keep student records for the purposes of running an educational
institution.

Data storage criteria: Data will be stored while there is a mutual interest in maintaining the data or to the
extent that CONTROLLER has a legitimate interest to provide educational services and/or keep student
records for the purposes of operating an educational institution, unless overridden by the interests or
fundamental rights and freedoms of the User which require protection of personal data. When such
purpose is no longer necessary, the data will be erased with the adequate security measures to ensure the
pseudonymization or the complete destruction of the data.

Data disclosure: The data will not be disclosed to third parties, unless legally required.

Rights of the User:

 Right to withdraw consent at any time.

 Right of access, rectification, portability and erasure of their data and the restriction or objection
to their processing, with such rights limited to the extent that CONTROLLER maintains a
legitimate interest to provide training services and keep student records for the purposes of
running an educational institution, unless overridden by the interests or fundamental rights and
freedoms of the User which require protection of personal data.
 The right to file a claim with the appropriate governmental organization if you consider that the
processing does not comply with prevailing law.

Contact information for exercising rights:

Postal address: ACADEMICA INTERNATIONAL STUDIES. 6340 SUNSET DRIVE, MIAMI,

FLORIDA, USA 33143, E-mail: [email protected]

COMPULSORY OR OPTIONAL NATURE OF THE INFORMATION PROVIDED BY

THE USER

The Users, by marking the corresponding boxes and entering data in the fields, marked with an asterisk
(*) in the contact form or download forms, accept expressly and in a free and unequivocal way that
their data are necessary for the supplier to meet their request, voluntarily providing their data in the
remaining fields. The User ensures that the personal data provided to the CONTROLLER are true
and is responsible for communicating any changes to them.

The CONTROLLER informs and expressly ensures users that their personal data will not be
transferred to third parties under any circumstances, except to authorized processors in accordance
with applicable privacy law, or with the express, informed and unequivocal consent of the Users. All
data requested through the website are mandatory, as they are necessary for the provision of services
to the User.

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SECURITY MEASURES

That in accordance with the provisions of the current regulations on the protection of personal data,
the CONTROLLER is complying with all the provisions of the GDPR regulations for processing the
personal data for which they are responsible, and is manifestly complying with the principles described
in Article 5 of the GDPR, by which they are processed in a lawful, fair and transparent manner in
relation to the data subject and appropriate, relevant and limited to what is necessary in relation to the
purposes for which they are processed.

The CONTROLLER guarantees that all appropriate technical and organizational policies have been
implemented to apply the security measures established by the GDPR in order to protect the rights
and freedoms of Users, and has communicated the appropriate information for them to be able to
exercise their rights and freedoms.

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MINIMUM TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS FOR ONLINE COURSE
PARTICIPATION

Browsers

 Google Chrome (latest versions) (Click here to download).

 Firefox (latest versions) (Click here to download).
 Safari browser (latest versions) (Click here to download).

Plug-ins and Software

 Microsoft Office, Open Office

 Adobe Acrobat Reader DC (Click to Download).

PC/Mac Requirements

 Audio: Headset with functioning microphone

 Web camera
 A broadband internet connection
 Free USB port

TECHNICAL SUPPORT
Students will be provided with professional technical support throughout the course as needed. AIS
is committed to providing technical assistance within 24-48 hours of a request for assistance.

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