teachChat

Terms of Service

Effective July 28, 2026. Questions: dalton@daltonjfowler.com

The short version

• teachChat is a teacher-directed classroom communication service. One class per teacher is available without charge, subject to the limits shown in the service. Optional paid plans add classes and other features; safety and privacy features are not paywalled.
• Teacher accounts are for adults. Students enter only a class authorized and supervised by their teacher and school.
• Teachers control classroom moderation. teachChat provides tools, but no filter replaces teacher supervision or a school's safety procedures.
• Paid plans renew monthly until canceled. Price, renewal, and cancellation terms are disclosed at checkout and below.

1. Agreement and service provider

These Terms of Service ("Terms") are a binding agreement between TeachChat, LLC ("TeachChat," "Company," "we," "us," or "our") and the adult teacher, school, school district, or other organization that creates or controls a teacher account ("Account Holder" or "you"). TeachChat provides the website, classroom chat service, and related features at teachchat.app (collectively, the "Service"). By creating an account, purchasing a plan, or using the Service, you agree to these Terms.

Students do not create TeachChat accounts and are not purchasers under these Terms. Their use is governed by the classroom conduct provisions and the direction of their teacher and school. If you use the Service for a school or other organization, you represent that you have authority to accept these Terms for that organization.

2. School agreements and order of precedence

A school or district may enter into a separate data privacy agreement, pilot agreement, or order form with TeachChat. For student-data privacy, security, deletion, and breach-notice issues, a signed school agreement controls over inconsistent provisions in these Terms or the Privacy Policy. For all other issues, the order form controls first, then these Terms. Nothing in these Terms requires a public school to accept an indemnity or other obligation it is prohibited by law from accepting.

3. Eligibility, service area, and school authorization

Teacher accounts may be created only by individuals at least 18 years old. Students may use the Service only in a class created by an authorized adult teacher and under teacher supervision. Before inviting a student, the Account Holder must confirm that the school or district has approved the Service through an official authorized to make that decision, has received TeachChat's student privacy notice, and has completed any review, notice, consent, or agreement required by applicable law and school policy.

TeachChat is offered only to schools in the United States and its territories. We do not offer or market the Service outside the United States, and requests from outside that service area are refused before they reach the application. If you are in the U.S. and find yourself blocked, your network may be routing through another country: write to us and we will sort it out.

TeachChat is responsible for its own compliance with applicable law. This section does not transfer TeachChat's COPPA obligations to teachers or schools. An individual teacher's acceptance of these Terms is not, by itself, proof that the teacher has authority to authorize collection on behalf of parents. TeachChat may require written school authorization or a data privacy agreement before enabling student use.

4. Free and paid plans

The free plan permits one active class per teacher and includes the safety, privacy, moderation, and audit features designated as core features. Usage limits, including any daily live-session limit, are displayed in the Service. TeachChat may reasonably adjust non-safety usage limits on prospective notice but will not place core safety or privacy controls behind a paid plan.

Paid plans permit additional classes and optional features described at checkout. The applicable monthly price, currently expected to be between $1.99 and $2.99, will be shown before purchase. If an alpha pilot account is designated in the Service as having a locked pilot rate, TeachChat will not increase that account's base monthly subscription rate, including a designated free-for-life rate. The locked rate is personal to the designated account, is not transferable, and does not include taxes, separately priced add-ons, or third-party charges disclosed before purchase.

5. Automatic renewal, billing, and cancellation

Paid subscriptions renew automatically each month until canceled. By selecting a paid plan and submitting payment information to Stripe, you expressly authorize TeachChat, through Stripe, to charge the price displayed at checkout, plus applicable taxes, at purchase and on each monthly renewal date. The checkout flow will clearly disclose the recurring charge, billing frequency, and cancellation method before collecting payment information.

You may cancel at any time through the account billing page or another simple online method made available in the Service. Cancellation stops future renewals and takes effect at the end of the paid billing period. Except where law requires otherwise, fees already charged are nonrefundable and TeachChat does not prorate a partial month. If TeachChat changes a non-locked subscription price, it will give at least 30 days' notice, and the new price will apply only to a renewal occurring after that notice period. TeachChat may correct billing errors and may suspend paid features if a charge fails but will provide a reasonable opportunity to update the payment method. After cancellation, downgrade, or failed payment, classes exceeding the free-plan limit may become read-only or inaccessible after TeachChat provides the Account Holder a reasonable opportunity to export available data. TeachChat will not delete student data solely because a subscription ends; deletion will follow the Privacy Policy, any applicable school agreement, and any verified school direction.

6. Classroom content and licenses

Students, teachers, and schools retain their rights in messages, notes, poll responses, settings, exports, and other material submitted through the Service ("Classroom Content"). As between TeachChat and the school, student data and education records remain under the school's control. You grant TeachChat a limited, nonexclusive, royalty-free license to host, process, display, transmit, moderate, export, and delete Classroom Content only as necessary to provide, secure, support, and improve the Service for authorized K-12 educational purposes and to comply with law.

TeachChat does not acquire ownership of Classroom Content, sell it, use it for targeted advertising, or use it to train artificial intelligence models. Teachers should export records the school must retain. Copies written to a teacher's Google Drive are controlled by the teacher or school and are not deleted when a TeachChat class is deleted.

7. Privacy and student records

The Privacy Policy describes TeachChat's information practices and is incorporated into these Terms. When a school uses the school-official exception under FERPA, TeachChat will use personally identifiable information from education records only for the purpose for which the school disclosed it, remain under the school's direct control as established by the applicable agreement, and not redisclose it except as authorized by the school and permitted by law. Schools and verified parents may exercise access and deletion rights as described in the Privacy Policy and any school agreement.

8. Classroom conduct and acceptable use

You may not use, or permit use of, the Service to harass, threaten, bully, demean, exploit, or unlawfully discriminate; post sexually explicit material or content encouraging violence or self-harm; reveal another person's personal information; cheat, spam, impersonate another person, evade moderation, or interfere with a class; introduce malware, probe security, scrape, reverse engineer except where law permits, or disrupt the Service; infringe intellectual property or privacy rights; conduct surveillance unrelated to the authorized educational purpose; or violate law or school policy.

Teachers may hold, hide, remove, or restrict Classroom Content and may mute or remove class participants. TeachChat may block content, suspend a class, or restrict an account when reasonably necessary to protect students, users, or the Service, investigate abuse, or comply with law. TeachChat will not make school disciplinary decisions.

9. Moderation and student safety

TeachChat provides teacher-controlled moderation tools and rule-based filters. These tools may miss harmful content or block appropriate content. The Account Holder remains responsible for active classroom supervision and for following school emergency, mandated-reporting, discipline, and student-support procedures. TeachChat is not an emergency service. A person facing an immediate threat should contact school officials or emergency services through appropriate channels.

TeachChat may restrict access to, preserve, and report content or related information to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children or law enforcement when TeachChat obtains actual knowledge of facts that require a report under 18 U.S.C. section 2258A or when another law requires or permits the action. Any required preservation may continue notwithstanding an ordinary class or account deletion request. Nothing in these Terms states that TeachChat monitors all communications or guarantees detection of unlawful material.

TeachChat does not currently use third-party artificial intelligence to classify student messages. Any future AI-assisted moderation feature will require prior legal, privacy, security, and school-agreement review; will be disclosed before activation; and will provide flags to teachers rather than autonomous punishment or final disciplinary decisions.

10. Participation features

Participation points, team standings, stickers, cosmetic items, and similar features are classroom engagement tools. They have no cash value, are not property, and cannot be sold, transferred, or redeemed. Teachers may adjust or reset them for educational reasons, and TeachChat may correct them when necessary to address an error or misuse. Schools should decide whether and how participation data is used in grading or formal evaluation.

11. TeachChat technology and feedback

TeachChat and its licensors own the Service, software, design, documentation, trademarks, and other technology, excluding Classroom Content. Subject to these Terms, TeachChat grants the Account Holder a limited, revocable, nonexclusive, nontransferable right to use the Service for authorized educational purposes. If you submit feedback or suggestions, you grant TeachChat permission to use them without restriction or payment, provided TeachChat does not identify a student or disclose student data.

12. Third-party services

The Service relies on third-party providers, including Cloudflare, Google, and Stripe. Their availability may affect the Service. A teacher's use of Google or Stripe is also subject to that provider's terms. TeachChat is responsible for selecting and managing its service providers as required by applicable student-privacy law and any school agreement.

13. Changes, availability, and beta features

TeachChat may improve, add, or remove features and may offer alpha, beta, or preview features. It will not materially expand the use or disclosure of student data without the notice and authorization required by law and applicable school agreements. Planned maintenance, security incidents, and events outside TeachChat's reasonable control may interrupt the Service. TeachChat will use reasonable efforts to preserve availability but does not guarantee uninterrupted operation.

teachChat is currently in alpha. Features change often, and you should not make it the only home of anything you cannot afford to lose. Export what your school must retain.

14. Suspension and termination

You may stop using the Service at any time and may delete classes or the account through available controls. TeachChat may suspend or terminate access for a material breach, unlawful use, a threat to students or system security, nonpayment, or discontinuation of the Service. When practicable, TeachChat will give notice and an opportunity to cure before terminating for a remediable breach. Immediate action is permitted for safety, security, fraud, or legal reasons.

If TeachChat discontinues the Service, it will give schools and Account Holders reasonable advance notice when practicable and an opportunity to export available data. Student data will be returned or deleted according to the Privacy Policy and any applicable school agreement. Sections that by their nature should survive termination, including ownership, payment obligations already incurred, disclaimers, liability limits, and dispute provisions, will survive.

15. Disclaimers

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE." TEACHCHAT DISCLAIMS IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. TEACHCHAT DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, OR CAPABLE OF IDENTIFYING EVERY HARMFUL MESSAGE. These disclaimers do not exclude warranties or duties that cannot lawfully be excluded and do not limit obligations expressly stated in a signed school agreement.

16. Limitation of liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, NEITHER PARTY WILL BE LIABLE FOR INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, PUNITIVE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, OR FOR LOST PROFITS OR LOST DATA, ARISING FROM THE SERVICE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY. TEACHCHAT'S AGGREGATE LIABILITY ARISING FROM THE SERVICE WILL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) THE FEES PAID BY THE ACCOUNT HOLDER TO TEACHCHAT DURING THE 12 MONTHS BEFORE THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM OR (B) $100.

The exclusions and cap do not apply to liability that cannot be limited by law, TeachChat's fraud or willful misconduct, or a party's infringement or misappropriation of the other party's intellectual property. A signed school agreement may provide different limits.

17. Indemnification

To the extent permitted by law, an Account Holder acting outside the scope of an authorized school agreement will defend and indemnify TeachChat against third-party claims arising from the Account Holder's knowing violation of these Terms, unlawful Classroom Content submitted by the Account Holder, or use of the Service without required organizational authority. This obligation does not apply to a claim caused by TeachChat's breach, negligence, willful misconduct, or violation of law. Public schools and districts have no indemnity obligation except to the extent expressly stated in a signed agreement and authorized by law.

18. Governing law and disputes

New Jersey law governs these Terms without regard to conflict-of-law rules, except that federal law governs federal claims. Before filing suit, the parties will attempt in good faith for 30 days to resolve a written dispute notice, unless immediate injunctive relief is reasonably necessary. Subject to any signed school agreement and applicable governmental-immunity rules, exclusive jurisdiction lies in the state courts located in the New Jersey county of TeachChat's principal office or the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. EACH PARTY WAIVES A JURY TRIAL TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

19. Changes to these Terms

TeachChat may update these Terms prospectively. It will post the revised Terms and update the effective date. Material changes will be disclosed to signed-in Account Holders in advance. If a change materially expands student-data practices, TeachChat will obtain any new school authorization or parental consent required before the change applies to affected student data. Continued use after the stated effective date constitutes acceptance by the adult Account Holder, except where law or a signed agreement requires express acceptance.

20. General terms

Neither party may assign a signed school agreement except as that agreement permits. TeachChat may assign these Terms as part of a merger, reorganization, financing, or sale of substantially all assets if the successor assumes TeachChat's obligations, including student-data restrictions. A failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver. If a provision is unenforceable, it will be modified to the minimum extent necessary and the remainder will continue. These Terms, the Privacy Policy, and any signed order or school agreement are the complete agreement concerning the Service and may be amended only as stated here or in a signed writing. There are no third-party beneficiaries except as expressly stated in a school agreement. Electronic acceptance and records have the same effect as originals.

21. Notices and contact

Legal notices to TeachChat must be sent to TeachChat, LLC, 14 Mill Street, Medford, New Jersey 08055, with a copy to dalton@daltonjfowler.com. TeachChat may send account and legal notices to the email associated with the teacher account. Privacy requests may be sent to dalton@daltonjfowler.com or made by telephone at (609) 535-2725.

Privacy Policy · Back to teachChat