Terms of Use

Welcome to the website of the Well-Trained Mind Academy, hereinafter referred to as “the WTMA Site.” The WTMA Site is operated by Well-Trained Mind Academy, Inc. (“WTMA” or “we”) as a portal where parents or guardians can register their child for the online Courses and other services that we offer (“Courses”). We are assuming that the person reading these Terms of Use (“you”) is a parent or guardian of the student. These are the Terms of Use for the WTMA Site.

BASIC CONDITIONS. These Terms of Use constitute a legally binding agreement between you and WTMA. These Terms of Use will remain in full force and effect as long as you use the WTMA Site and/or as long as your child is taking Courses or is registered to take Courses.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY. WTMA owns all rights or has the right to use all the material in the WTMA Site, including all trademark rights in the Well-Trained Mind Academy name and logo, and all copyrights and other rights in the content that appears on the WTMA Site (“WTMA Content”), as well as the contents of the books and other Courses offered for sale on the WTMA Site. None of the WTMA Content may be copied or reproduced without the express written consent of WTMA.

General Registration is the time during which families can enroll their student in any open seat of a given course is as follows:

• Summer Semester:  February - June 10th
• Fall Semester and Full-Year Courses: February - August 10th
• Spring Semester: February - January 10th

All registrations are subject to review and final approval by WTMA and it is in WTMA’s sole discretion to deny registration for any and all courses at any time, subject to a refund of any deposit where appropriate.

Grace Period Is the time during which a full refund of tuition paid will be offered, including the Technology Fee. The last day of said Grace Periods is as follows:

• Summer Semester: June 10th at 11:59pm Eastern Time. 
• Fall Semester and Full-Year Courses: September 5th at 11:59pm Eastern Time.
• Spring Semester and Full-Year Transfers: February 5th at 11:59pm Eastern Time

• You may register students  for a Course(s) only during General Registration.
• You are responsible to read all Course descriptions and prerequisites carefully to determine course suitability. If you choose a Course that isn’t right for your child, and you do  not realize this until after the Grace Period, WTMA will not provide a refund. (See Payment, Withdrawals, and Refunds below.)

• Sections of Courses will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Once a section is full, you may choose to join the waitlist for your student. You pay the deposit for the course at checkout, and this deposit holds the student’s seat on the waitlist. You will then receive confirmation of the student's position on the waitlist via email. 

  • If a seat becomes available, WTMA will automatically enroll the student in the class, and we will notify you by email. 
  • If a seat does not become available, WTMA will  refund you the tuition down payment, and, only if your student is not taking any other courses, the Registration Fee and Technology Fee. 
  • If you remove your student from a course waitlist, WTMA will refund you the tuition down payment, and only if your student is not taking any other courses, the Technology Fee. In this situation, WTMA does not refund the Registration Fee. We will monitor Courses during the General Registration period and add new sections to existing Courses as waiting lists expand, at our sole discretion.

We consider transfer requests on a case-by-case basis. You can email us at [email protected] to request a transfer.

• You must make all payments with a credit card.
• You must maintain a  valid credit on file with WTMA at all times.
• You can pay for any Course in a lump sum or on a monthly payment plan.

• WTMA does not refund the Registration Fee regardless of when a student is withdrawn from the Academy. 
• WTMA will refund The Technology Fee, only if you withdraw the student  from all Courses, before the close of the Grace Period.
• Tuition Paid In Full Refunds:
  • We will refund the entire tuition paid for a course if you withdraw your student before the end of the Grace Period. No refund will be given if a student is withdrawn from a course after:
    • Summer Semester: June 10th
    • Fall and Full-year Courses: September 5th
    • Spring Semester and Full-Year Transfers: February 5th
• Payment Plan Refunds:
  • We will cancel and refund all payments made if you withdraw your student before the end of the Grace Period.
  • We will continue to charge, and you agree that we may charge, your credit card until 100% of the tuition has been paid if you withdraw your student on or after the end of the Grace Period
• Charter School or Third Party Reimbursement Refunds:
  • You are responsible for any unpaid tuition if a withdrawal occurs after the Grace Period.
  • If the charter school will not pay the full amount of any course or fee, you agree that we may charge your credit card until 100% of the tuition balance has been paid.

• We reserve the right to cancel any Course at any time prior to the start of the term for any reason..
• If  we cancel a Course for which you registered your child, we will notify you in writing and within 60 (sixty) days, we will refund all tuition paid back to the original payment method, or if unavailable, by check or ACH payment.

• You are responsible for acquiring textbooks and materials for a class prior to the start of a term and these books are not included in any tuition or fees. 
• WTMA will update its Textbook lists in the Course Description when Registration for a course opens, unless otherwise noted on the website. Please note that while WTMA works for consistency across the WTMA Site, the Course Description is the most up-to-date listing for textbooks and materials.
• Under no circumstances is the Academy esponsible for any costs for any textbooks purchased, even if they are non-returnable. 
• Do not assume that a Course will use the same textbooks that it used last year.

• A hard line DSL or cable Internet connection. Use of a satellite connection or wireless hotspot may cause delays in video and audio transmission.
• A desktop or laptop computer with an up-to-date version of a Windows or Mac OS operating system released within the last three years. WTMA cannot guarantee full connectivity and a quality experience with mobile OS platforms and alternative operating systems like Linux. 
• For the most reliable experience WTMA requires the use of of Chrome® or Firefox® as a browser. While Safari® and Microsoft Edge® are alternatives, WTMA does not recommend their suitability and reliability for the WTMA Site..
• A headset/mic combo. WTMA requires a headset to prevent feedback and echoes during audio transmission. WTMA requires a microphone for class participation. Please note that Bluetooth sets often vary in their quality and  their compatibility with the WTMA Site and a hardwired set is preferable. 

For more details, view the latest browser requirements for Blackboard Collaborate.

Enrolled students are expected to attend class on a regular basis. A student who misses more than 25% of any course will not be eligible to complete a course. Within each course, instructors will make students aware of their own attendance requirements. Each instructor will have their own attendance and lateness policy listed on their course syllabus and will explain clearly how absences or tardies will affect the overall course grade. Instructor policies will include how many times a student can substitute a delayed lecture with a live lecture per semester per course. Approved substitutions will not count towards the student's overall number of missed classes. Students are responsible for making up all missed work.

Students who plan to attend a mix of live and delayed sessions within a particular course must receive permission from the instructor prior to the beginning of the semester. Students attending both the live and delayed sections who miss more than 25% of the live sessions they are expected to attend will not be eligible to complete a course.

• WTMA will assign each student a Student I.D. that the student will use to log on to Courses. By default, the student’s full name is displayed in the live classroom to other students and the instructor.
• Any student may choose to modify the student’s real name and other personally identifying information (such as their self-chosen avatar) in their Blackboard profile settings. A student may not abuse this privilege. See “Interaction and Disputes between Students; Release” below.

• Your child and you may not (a) harass, abuse, stalk, or otherwise harm another student or a teacher, (b) contact, advertise to, solicit, or sell to any other student or a teacher, or (c) use the WTMA Site for any purpose other than to participate in Courses and work on collaborative assignments. If we are made aware that you or your child has violated these conditions, then, in addition to any other action that we may be legally entitled to take, we may, in ourn sole discretion, suspend your child from classes without refunding the Course tuition.
• You and your child are solely responsible for your child’s communication and interaction with any other student or any teacher, online or offline.
• If there is a dispute between your child and another student or a teacher, you can contact our Dean for assistance. However, if there is a dispute between your child and another student outside of the WTMA site, WTMA is under no obligation to become involved.
• You hereby release WTMA, which includes its owners, its operators,, its subsidiaries and its affiliates, and and and allofficers, employees, agents, and successors of WTMA and all the above mentioned related parties, in interest from claims, demands, and damages (actual and consequential) of every kind or nature—including, but not limited to any type of physical, mental, emotional, psychological harm up to and including bodily death—known or unknown, suspected and unsuspected, disclosed and undisclosed, arising out of or in any way related to such disputes and the use of the WTMA Site. 
• If you are a California resident, on behalf of both you and your child, you waive California Civil Code Section 1542, which says: “A general release does not extend to claims which the creditor does not know or suspect to exist in his favor at the time of executing the release, which, if known by him must have materially affected his settlement with the debtor.”

DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES. WE MAKE THE WTMA SITEAVAILABLE TO YOU “AS IS.” WTMA EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS TO THE FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAW ALL EXPRESS AND IMPLIED WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE WTMA SITE OR THE COURSES SOLD ON THE WTMA SITE, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY WARRANTIES ABOUT THE RESULTS YOUR CHILD MAY ACHIEVE IN ANY COURSE OR BY TAKING COURSES IN LIEU OF OTHER EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS. EVERY CHILD IS DIFFERENT, AND EDUCATIONAL COURSES AND APPROACHES THAT MAY WORK WELL FOR ONE CHILD MAY NOT WORK FOR ANOTHER CHILD, EVEN WITHIN THE SAME FAMILY. WE ALSO DISCLAIM ANY WARRANTY OF ANY KIND RELATED TO THE RESULTS OF YOUR USE OF OR INTERACTION WITH THE WTMA SITE, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY WARRANTY THAT THE WTMA SITE WILL OPERATE CONTINUOUSLY OR ERROR-FREE ON YOUR OPERATING SYSTEM OR THAT CONTENT ON THE WTMA SITE WILL BE FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE DISCLAIMER OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES, SO SOME OF THE FOREGOING DISCLAIMERS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU INSOFAR AS THEY RELATE TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES. WTMA PROVIDES NO GUARANTEE OF UPTIME OR ACCESSIBILITY TO COURSES.

INDEMNITY. You will indemnify and hold harmless WTMA, including its owners, its parent, subsidiaries, affiliates, officers, agents, and other partners and employees from any loss, liability, claim, demand, fees, and expenses, including reasonable attorney’s fees made by any third party (which means anyone other than you or WTMA) due to or arising out of your use of the WTMA Site, including, without limitation, any claim arising from your breach of these Terms of Use. This obligation will survive termination of this Agreement, which means that even after you stop using the WTMA Site and/or after your child stops taking Courses, you will still be bound.

LIMITATION OF LIABILITY. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL WTMA OR ANY OF ITS OWNERS, SUBSIDIARIE,S OR AFFILIATES BE LIABLE FOR DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES (EVEN IF WTMA OR SUCH SUBSIDIARY OR AFFILIATE HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES) RESULTING FROM ANY ASPECT OF YOUR USE OF THE WTMA SITE, WHETHER THE DAMAGES ARISE FROM USE OR MISUSE OF THE WTMA SITE; YOUR INABILITY TO USE THE WTMA SITE; THE INTERRUPTION, SUSPENSION, MODIFICATION, ALTERATION, OR TERMINATION OF THE WTMA SITE; OR OUT OF ANY INFORMATION OR ADVICE RECEIVED THROUGH OR ADVERTISED IN CONNECTION WITH THE WTMA SITE OR ANY LINKS ON THE WTMA SITE. THESE LIMITATIONS SHALL APPLY TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW. IN SOME JURISDICTIONS, LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY ARE NOT PERMITTED, SO SOME OF THE FOREGOING LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

CONSENT TO COLLECTION AND USE OF DATA. Our privacy policy, which you can read here (Privacy Policy), explains what personally identifying information is collected through the WTMA Site, how it is used, and who has access to it.

COPYRIGHT PROTECTION POLICY. If you believe that any content that you own has been posted on the WTMA Site without your permission, please provide our Copyright Agent with the following information: an electronic or physical signature of the person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of the copyright interest; a description of the copyrighted work that you claim has been infringed; a description of where the material that you claim is infringing is located on the WTMA Site; your address, telephone number, and email address; a written statement by you that you have a good faith belief that the disputed use is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law; a statement by you, made under penalty of perjury, that the above information in your notice is accurate and that you are the copyright owner or authorized to act on the copyright owner’s behalf. Our Copyright Agent can be reached as follows: Susan Bauer, Well-Trained Mind Academy, 18021 The Glebe Land, Charles City, VA, phone 804.829.5042, fax 804.829.5704, email [email protected]

GOVERNING LAW, JURISDICTION, AND TIME LIMIT ON CLAIMS. You agree that: (i) the WTMA Site is solely based in the Commonwealth of Virginia; and (ii) the WTMA Site is a passive Site that does not give rise to personal jurisdiction over WTMA, either specific or general, in jurisdictions other than the Commonwealth of Virginia. If you have any dispute with us, you will resolve the dispute under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. You hereby submit to personal jurisdiction by and venue in the state and federal courts of Richmond, Virginia or wherever WTMA deems appropriate jurisdiction in its sole discretion. Regardless of any statute or law to the contrary, you agree that any claim or cause of action arising out of or related to use of the WTMA Site or the Terms of Use must be filed within one (1) year after such claim or cause of action arose, or it will be forever barred.

TERMINATION. We reserve the right, in our sole discretion: to refuse to process any order for Courses; reject any credit card or other form of payment; assist law enforcement in the prosecution of criminal liability or lawful investigation; and/or take whatever other actions we consider appropriate to address any action that we reasonably believe is or might be in violation of these Terms of Use.

ADDITIONAL TERMS. Our failure to exercise or enforce any right or provision of the Terms of Use shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision. If a court of competent jurisdiction holds any provision of the Terms of Use invalid, the court should try to give effect to the parties’ intentions as reflected in the provision, and the other provisions of the Terms of Use will remain in full force and effect.

These Terms of Use were last updated on February 7, 2023.