Policy version 2026-07-17

Student Safety Policy

Effective July 17, 2026 · Applies to founders, mentors, students, volunteers, and program channels

1. Safety commitment and launch gate

Respect, visibility, boundaries, and prompt reporting are conditions of participation. Before an active cohort begins, Compute Forward must name a safeguarding contact and adult-oversight arrangement, publish the mentor roster, confirm approved channels, and ensure every mentor acknowledges this policy.

If these items are not complete, the cohort should not begin. Student-led operation does not reduce the duty to create clear adult escalation and guardian visibility.

2. Approved communication

• Program business uses official founder email addresses and cohort tools named in the family brief.
• Mentors must not move conversations with minors to personal text messages, disappearing-message services, private social accounts, or unapproved servers.
• Group channels should be visible to program leadership and, where appropriate, families.
• Messages should relate to learning, scheduling, feedback, or student support and should occur at reasonable hours.
• Students and families may include a guardian or founder in any conversation.

3. One-to-one mentorship

• Sessions with minors are scheduled, purpose-specific, and guardian-informed.
• The cohort brief must specify how sessions are visible or auditable—for example, an approved link, calendar record, open group space, or another adult’s availability.
• Mentors may not request secrecy, romantic or sexual interaction, private images, unnecessary personal details, money, gifts, or in-person meetings outside approved program arrangements.
• A student may end a session or request another person’s presence at any time.
• Mentors should document learning goals and next steps, not sensitive personal disclosures.

4. Conduct

Everyone must

• Treat participants with respect across identity, background, ability, and skill level.
• Use constructive feedback and protect private information.
• Report suspected harm, boundary violations, or unsafe system access promptly.
• Follow academic-integrity, platform, and security rules.

Prohibited behavior

• Harassment, bullying, discrimination, retaliation, threats, sexual content, grooming behavior, or humiliation.
• Doxxing, credential sharing, unauthorized recording, or distributing private messages.
• Malware, unauthorized access attempts, exploitation of program systems, or encouraging unsafe online behavior.
• Mentor-student romantic relationships or favoritism tied to gifts, secrets, or personal access.

5. Recordings, images, testimonials, and student work

Sessions are not recorded by default. Any recording requires advance notice, a documented educational purpose, retention and access limits, and specific parent/guardian and student consent where applicable. A student may participate without granting promotional use of their name, image, quote, or work.

Testimonials and outcome stories require separate, revocable publication consent. Consent for program participation is not consent for publicity.

6. Report a concern

Students, families, mentors, and observers may report a concern to both founders:

• Email Anish and copy Kaushik
• Email Kaushik and copy Anish

Include what happened, when, the people or channel involved, and any immediate safety concern. Do not broadly forward sensitive screenshots; preserve them and ask where to send them securely. Reports may be made by a parent or guardian. Retaliation for a good-faith report is prohibited.

If a founder is involved in the concern, report to the other founder and the named adult safeguarding contact in the cohort brief. Until that contact is named, an active cohort must not begin.

7. Response and escalation

1. Acknowledge: confirm receipt as soon as practical and prioritize immediate safety.
2. Stabilize: pause contact, access, or participation where necessary without presuming the final outcome.
3. Preserve: retain limited relevant evidence securely and restrict access.
4. Escalate: involve the named safeguarding adult, guardians, platform providers, or authorities when appropriate or required.
5. Review: document findings, decisions, communication, and any corrective action.
6. Follow up: check that safety measures worked and update policy or training when needed.

Privacy will be respected, but confidentiality cannot be promised when information must be shared to protect someone or comply with law.

8. Mentor readiness

Before working with students, each mentor must have a published role, complete screening appropriate to the operating model, review communication and incident rules, acknowledge the conduct policy, and know how to escalate. The exact screening and adult-supervision process must be finalized and disclosed before cohort launch.

9. Policy review

This policy should receive qualified safeguarding and legal review before an active cohort launches. Material updates receive a new version and are communicated to active families and mentors.