Legal Notice – Terms of Use

This website and its contents are the property of the Southern Association of Independent Schools (“Association” or “SAIS”). This web page states the Website Terms of Use for the use of SAIS’s websites, sais.org, connect.sais.orgsais.orgsais.org, account.sais.orgsais.orgsais.org, sais.thinkific.com and www.headsearch.org  (referred collectively as the “Website”). By using the Website, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Use.  SAIS may revise these Terms at any time by updating this posting. The terms “You” and “User” are used to refer to anyone who is accessing the Website. If you are using the Website on behalf of a company or other legal entity, such entity may have a separate agreement with SAIS, but you are nevertheless individually bound by these Terms.

IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO BE BOUND BY THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS, DO NOT USE THE WEBSITE. 

Ownership of Copyrights, Trademarks and Other Intellectual Property

The entire contents of the Website, including the text, graphics, images, logos, button icons, HTML code, and other materials are copyrighted by SAIS under the copyright laws of the United States.  User agrees not to remove or obscure copyright notices appearing on the Website. SAIS grants no copyright or ownership interests to User for any of the material and proprietary information referred to herein belonging to SAIS; limited use of the materials is permitted only as expressly stated in the terms below.  Permission to the Website content may be granted in special circumstances on a case-by-case basis.  Please direct any request to use SAIS’s copyrighted content via the Contact Us link on the Website.  

Permitted Uses of Materials

Below are selected permitted and prohibited uses of SAIS materials that are posted at the Website.

  1. Anyone who is doing personal, noncommercial research may view, print material, and temporarily store materials from the Website, provided that SAIS’s copyright notices are not removed and that the reuse of material does not conflict with any of the prohibited uses below.
  2. Anyone may share SAIS materials by utilizing the “share” icons (i.e. the Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Email share icons) displayed in conjunction with the Website materials on the Website. 
  3. Any use other than as described above requires prior written permission from SAIS.

Prohibited Uses of Materials

  1. Except for the permitted uses above, User agrees not to reproduce, distribute, transmit (via print, fax, electronic, or other means), modify, alter, or create derivative works of the materials contained in the Website without prior written permission from SAIS.
  2. User agrees that materials may not be commercially exploited or sold to third parties without prior written authorization from SAIS.
  3. User agrees that materials may not be systematically stored on a server so as to substitute for the purchase of a subscription and/or license agreement to/for the materials.

Name and Logo

User agrees not to use the name of the SAIS, its members, or their logos for any promotional or commercial purpose or any other purpose without the prior written consent of SAIS.

Website Security

Interference with Website operation: User agrees to not access or use the Website in any manner that could damage, disable, impair or cause undue burden on the Website and/or its host, servers, network, systems or other users. User agrees to not attempt to interfere in any way with the operation of the Website, that User will not transmit any virus or worm to the Website, that User will not use any spider, robot or any other automated mechanism to access the Website and/or its servers or systems, and that you will not engage in flooding, spamming, mail-bombing, crashing or otherwise sending unsolicited e-mail to other users of the Website.  User further agrees that User will not attempt to access SAIS that is not intended for your use, that User will not attempt to log on to a server or account that User is not authorized to access, and that User will not probe, scan or test the vulnerability of any system or network related in any way to the Website without authorization.

Alteration of Website content: None of the material contained on the Website (including all software, HTML code, and other code) may be reverse-engineered, disassembled, decompiled, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, translated into any language or computer language, retransmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photo-reproduction, recordation, or otherwise), reproduced, reformatted, resold or redistributed without the prior written permission of SAIS.

Violation of Website security: Users are prohibited from violating or attempting to violate the security of the Website.  This site has security measures in place to protect the loss, misuse, and alteration of the information under our control.  Please see our Private Policy for further details concerning the Website’s privacy practices.

Compliance: User agrees to comply with all applicable laws, as well as with these Terms of Use.  User agrees not to engage in any unlawful or commercial activity on the Website.

Registration and Password

Users are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of their information and password. User is responsible for all use associated with User’s registration and the compliance with all Terms and Conditions. User agrees to immediately notify SAIS of any unauthorized use of your password or account or any other breach of security.  

Termination of Account

SAIS reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to pursue all of its legal remedies, including, but not limited to deletion of User’s postings from the Website and immediate termination of User’s registration with the Website or ability to access the Website and/or any other service provided to User by SAIS, upon any breach by User of these Terms and Conditions or if SAIS is unable to verify or authenticate any information User submits to the Website for registration.  SAIS shall not be liable to User nor any third party for any termination of User’s account or access to the Website.

Waiver of Liability

SAIS does not screen or censor User-generated content made available on the Website. SAIS is NOT LIABLE for any User-generated content posted on the website.  User assumes all risks associated with dealing with other users with whom User comes in contact through the Website.  Should a dispute arise between User and another user, User hereby agrees to release SAIS from all claims, demand, and damages associated with such a dispute.

IN NO EVENT SHALL SAIS OR ANY THIRD PARTIES MENTIONED ON THE WEBSITE BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, INCIDENTAL AND CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, LOST PROFITS OR DAMAGES RESULTING FROM LOST DATA OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) RESULTING FROM THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE WEBSITE AND THE MATERIAL, WHETHER BASED ON WARRANTY, CONTRACT, TORT, OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY, AND WHETHER OR NOT SAIS IS ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

No Warranties

THE CONTENT THAT IS POSTED ON THE WEBSITE MAY CONTAIN INACCURACIES OR TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS.  SAIS MAKES NO WARRANTIES ABOUT THE ACCURACY, RELIABILITY, COMPLETENESS, OR TIMELINESS OF THE WEBSITE, THE MATERIAL OR OTHER POSTED CONTENT, SERVICES, SOFTWARE, TEXT, GRAPHICS, AND LINKS.

THE WEBSITE AND MATERIAL ARE PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” BASIS WITHOUT ANY WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND.  SAIS DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NONINFRINGEMENT OF COPYRIGHT TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW. 

SAIS DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE WEBSITE WILL OPERATE ERROR-FREE OR THAT THE WEBSITE AND ITS SERVER ARE FREE OF COMPUTER VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL MECHANISMS.  IF YOUR USE OF THE WEBSITE OR THE MATERIAL RESULTS IN THE NEED FOR SERVICING OR REPLACING EQUIPMENT OR DATA, SAIS IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THOSE COSTS.

Links to Other Sites

The Website may contain links to third-party websites. These links are provided solely as a convenience to User and not as an endorsement by SAIS of the third-party or the contents of such third-party websites.  Because we do not have any control over such third-party websites, SAIS is not responsible for the content of linked third-party sites and does not make any representations regarding the content or accuracy of materials on such third-party websites.  Linking to third-party websites is performed at User’s own risk.

Indemnity

User agrees to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless SAIS, its officers, directors, employees and agents, from and against any claims, actions or demands, including without limitation reasonable legal fees, resulting from your use of the Website or your breach of the Terms of Use, including, without limitation, your submission of content that violates third party rights or applicable law.  SAIS shall provide notice to User promptly of any such claim, suit, or proceeding and shall assist User, at User’s expense, in defending any such claim, suit or proceeding.

Foreign Access

If User accesses this Website from outside the United States, User does so at User’s own risk.  User agrees to comply with all applicable local rules and laws regarding the transmission of technical SAIS exported from the United States or the country in which you reside.

Governing Law

These Terms are governed by laws of the State of Georgia. Jurisdiction for any claims arising under these Terms shall lie exclusively with the state or federal courts within the State of Georgia. If any provisions of these Terms are found to be invalid by any court having competent jurisdiction, the invalidity of such provision shall not affect the validity of the remaining provisions of these Terms and Conditions, which shall remain in full force and effect.  No waiver of any term of these Terms and Conditions shall be deemed a further or continuing waiver of such term or any other term.

Effective Date: October 13, 2021

Accreditation Portal Use Agreement

 

The accreditation portal is provided by SAIS to schools engaging in the accreditation process and the teams that accredit them. Schools uploading information often share confidential information in the accreditation process whether that information includes the school’s strategic or competitive information, or information regarding students, staff, or families. The sharing of this information for the purpose of accreditation necessitates care by both the school and the members of the accrediting team. This agreement governs the use of this portal by both the school and the accreditation team members. By using this portal, you agree to the following terms and conditions.

 

For those within schools or acting on behalf of the school, by uploading any documents to this website, you acknowledge and agree to the following terms and conditions:

  1. Ownership and Consent: You confirm that you or your school are the rightful owner of the uploaded documents, or you have proper consent from the owner to upload and share them on this website.
  2. Intellectual and Privacy Rights: You agree that the uploaded documents do not infringe upon the intellectual property rights, privacy rights, or any other legal rights of any third party. You will be solely responsible for any consequences arising from any rights should an issue arise. In the event that SAIS, its staff, board members or others associated with SAIS, accreditation team members, or other individuals outside your school organization face a claim of any kind for a violation of such rights, you and your school agree to indemnify and hold them harmless for any such claims, damages, liability, or expenses related to such legal actions.
  3. Appropriate Use: This portal is designed to provide schools and accreditation teams with a means to share and review information for accreditation purposes, largely through uploading documents and sharing information. Users should avoid using links to outside platforms or applications as such links may undermine the security of the information.
  4. Confidentiality and Privacy: While we take reasonable measures to protect the confidentiality and privacy of your uploaded documents, you understand and acknowledge that no data transmission over the internet can be guaranteed as completely secure. This means that you upload the documents at your own risk, and you hereby waive any and all legals claims that might attempt to make us held liable for any unauthorized access, loss, or misuse of the uploaded documents. In the event that you are concerned that the documents you would like to share with the accreditation teams are too sensitive to share through this portal, we will work with you to find another way to share the information.
  5. Indemnification: You agree to indemnify and hold harmless the website owner, its affiliates, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, liabilities, or expenses arising out of or related to your use of the uploaded documents or any violation of these terms.
  6. Content Removal: We reserve the right to remove or refuse any uploaded documents without prior notice if they are deemed inappropriate, infringing, or violate any applicable laws or regulations.
  7. Disclaimer: We provide no warranty or guarantee regarding the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of the uploaded documents. You understand that we do not endorse, control, or verify the content of the uploaded documents, and you rely on them at your own discretion.
  8. Modification of Terms: The website owner reserves the right to modify or update these terms and conditions at any time without prior notice. It is your responsibility to review these terms periodically for any changes.

 

For those individuals serving on accreditation teams, you acknowledge and agree to the following terms and conditions:

  1. Confidentiality: As a member of a SAIS accreditation team, you agree to keep confidential both the information you learn from the school that you are accrediting through any means, and the documents you access through this accreditation portal. These documents should not be used for your personal or school use without permission from the school.
  1. Appropriate Use: This portal is designed to provide schools and accreditation teams with a means to share and review information for accreditation purposes, largely through uploading documents and sharing information. Users should avoid using links to outside platforms or applications as such links may undermine the security of the information.
  2. Indemnification: You agree to indemnify and hold harmless the website owner, its affiliates, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, liabilities, or expenses arising out of or related to your use of the uploaded documents or any violation of these terms.
  3. Content Removal: We reserve the right to remove or refuse any uploaded documents without prior notice if they are deemed inappropriate, infringing, or violate any applicable laws or regulations.
  4. Disclaimer: We provide no warranty or guarantee regarding the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of the uploaded documents. You understand that we do not endorse, control, or verify the content of the uploaded documents, and you rely on them at your own discretion.
  5. Modification of Terms: The website owner reserves the right to modify or update these terms and conditions at any time without prior notice. It is your responsibility to review these terms periodically for any changes.