Community Guidelines
Last Updated: June 2026
Welcome to the OHS Community
Online Homeschool (OHS) exists to help families, educators, students, tutors, and homeschool organizations learn, collaborate, and support one another.
Our community features (including forums, groups, co-ops, messaging, comments, and other interactive spaces) are designed to encourage respectful discussion and meaningful educational connections.
By participating in the OHS community, you agree to follow these guidelines.
Our Core Values
We believe the homeschooling community is strongest when members:
- Treat one another with respect.
- Support learners of all ages.
- Share knowledge generously.
- Engage in constructive discussions.
- Respect differences in educational approaches.
- Protect the privacy and safety of students.
Our goal is to create a welcoming environment where families and educators can learn from one another without fear of harassment, abuse, or discrimination.
Be Respectful
Treat other members with kindness and professionalism.
Healthy disagreement is welcome. Personal attacks are not.
You may not:
- Insult, ridicule, or demean other users.
- Harass or intimidate others.
- Threaten violence or harm.
- Engage in bullying behavior.
- Encourage others to target or harass members.
Discuss ideas, not people.
Protect Student Privacy
Student privacy is a core value of OHS.
Before sharing information, consider whether it is necessary and appropriate.
Do not post:
- Student passwords
- Sensitive personal information
- Private educational records without authorization
- Medical information about other users
- Private contact information belonging to others
- Information that could place a child at risk
Parents and guardians are responsible for supervising information shared by students under their care.
Keep Discussions Educational and Relevant
Community spaces should primarily focus on:
- Homeschooling
- Education
- Curriculum
- Teaching strategies
- Student learning
- Co-op activities
- Educational technology
- Family learning experiences
Friendly off-topic discussions may be permitted in designated areas, but excessive off-topic posting may be removed.
Respect Different Educational Approaches
Homeschooling families use many different methods, including:
- Traditional approaches
- Classical education
- Charlotte Mason
- Montessori
- Unit studies
- Unschooling
- Online learning
- Hybrid models
Members are welcome to discuss and advocate for their preferred methods.
However, attacking, mocking, or shaming others because they use a different educational approach is not permitted.
No Hate Speech or Discrimination
OHS welcomes families and educators from diverse backgrounds.
Content that attacks or promotes hatred toward individuals or groups based on personal characteristics is not permitted.
This includes:
- Hate speech
- Harassment
- Threats
- Encouragement of violence
- Discriminatory content
Violations may result in immediate account suspension.
No Illegal or Harmful Content
Do not post content that:
- Violates laws or regulations
- Encourages illegal activity
- Promotes violence
- Contains malware or malicious code
- Attempts to compromise user accounts or systems
- Infringes copyrights or intellectual property rights
No Spam
Community spaces are intended for genuine interaction.
Do not:
- Flood discussions with repetitive posts.
- Send unsolicited promotional messages.
- Post misleading links.
- Create multiple accounts to manipulate discussions.
- Use automated tools to generate large amounts of content.
Limited self-promotion may be allowed where specifically permitted.
Messaging and Communication
Private messaging exists to support educational collaboration and community building.
Users may not use private messages to:
- Harass others
- Send spam
- Solicit money outside approved OHS systems
- Circumvent marketplace rules
- Engage in scams or fraudulent activity
Repeated violations may result in messaging privileges being removed.
Co-op Communities
Co-op leaders may establish additional rules for their private communities.
Members are expected to follow both:
- OHS Community Guidelines
- Any reasonable co-op-specific rules
When conflicts arise, OHS reserves the right to make the final determination regarding platform-wide policy enforcement.
Reporting Problems
If you encounter content or behavior that violates these guidelines, please report it.
Reports may include:
- Harassment
- Spam
- Copyright violations
- Fraudulent activity
- Inappropriate student interactions
- Safety concerns
We review reports as quickly as possible, but response times may vary.
Enforcement
To protect the community, OHS may take actions including:
- Removing content
- Locking discussions
- Issuing warnings
- Restricting community privileges
- Suspending accounts
- Permanently terminating accounts
The severity of enforcement will depend on the nature and frequency of violations.
Moderator Decisions
Moderators and administrators work to apply these guidelines fairly and consistently.
While we welcome feedback, moderator decisions regarding content moderation, warnings, suspensions, and account restrictions are generally final.
Help Us Build a Better Community
The OHS community is built by the families, students, educators, and co-op leaders who participate in it every day.
Be kind.
Be respectful.
Protect student privacy.
Support learning.
Together, we can create a community that helps homeschooling families thrive.
