Terms of Service

Terms of Service

Please read these Terms of Service (“TOS”) and the Privacy Policy carefully. These TOS and the Privacy Policy are agreements (the “Agreements”) between you, the Texas Education Agency (“TEA”), and TEG Technologies, LLC (“TEG”). By accessing or using this website or any other websites of TEG with links to this agreement (collectively, the “Site”) in any way, including using the services enabled by the Site (the “Services”), registering for an account, or browsing the Site, you represent that you have read, understand, and agree to be bound by the Agreements. If you do not understand or do not wish to be bound by the terms of the Agreements, you should not use the Site.

TEA and TEG reserve the right to modify these TOS at any time without advance notice. By continuing to use this Site following the posting of such changes, you agree to be bound by these TOS, as modified. TEA and TEG may change, restrict access to, suspend or discontinue this Site, or any portion of this Site, at any time.

USING THE SERVICES

As long as you are complying with all of the terms and conditions of these Agreements, TEG and TEA give you permission to access and use the Services that you select through the applicable registration process. The Services are available for your personal, noncommercial use.

USER ACCOUNT AND ACCESS

Registration. In order to access certain features of the Site and associated Services, you must register and create a user account. To create a user account, you are required to provide your name, a valid email address, the name of your school district, a username, and a user password. Your username will be publicly visible on the Site. You must be at least 13 years old to register for an account. Account registration via the site is restricted for children under the age of 13.

User information. You agree that all information provided by you is accurate, current, and complete and that you will maintain and update your information to keep it accurate, current, and complete. You acknowledge that if any information provided by you is untrue, inaccurate, not current, or incomplete, TEA and/or TEG reserves the right to refuse access to the Site or to terminate your user account to the Site.

Security. You agree that you will never divulge or share access or access information to your user account with any third party for any reason. You agree that you will not violate or attempt to violate the security of the Site. TEG will investigate security violations and may involve, and cooperate with, law enforcement authorities in prosecuting the use or users who are involved in such violations.

RULES FOR ONLINE CONDUCT

You agree that you are responsible for your own use of the Site and for your User Content. “User Content” includes all content submitted, posted, published, or distributed on the Site by you or other users of the Site. You agree that you will use the Site in compliance with these TOS, the Honor Code, and all applicable local, state, national and international laws, rules and regulations, including copyright laws, any laws regarding the transmission of technical data exported from your country of residence, and all United States export control laws.

As a condition of your use of the services, you will not use the Site in any manner intended to damage, disable, overburden or impair any TEG server or the network(s) connected to any TEG server or to interfere with any other party’s use and enjoyment of the Site. You may not attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Site, other accounts, computer systems or networks connected to any TEG server through hacking, password mining or any other means. You may not obtain or attempt to obtain any materials or information stored on the Site, its servers or associated computers through any means not intentionally made available through the Site.

You agree not to scrape, or otherwise download in bulk, any Site content, including but not limited to a list or directory of users on the system, on-line textbooks, User Content or user information. You agree not to misrepresent or attempt to misrepresent your identity while using the Site (although you are welcome and encouraged to use an anonymous username in the forums and to act in a manner that keeps your identity concealed).

The following are strictly prohibited on the Site:

  • Content that defames, harasses or threatens others;
  • Content that discusses illegal activities with the intent to commit them;
  • Content that infringes another’s intellectual property, including, but not limited to, copyrights or trademarks;
  • Profane, pornographic, obscene, indecent or unlawful content;
  • Advertising or any form of commercial solicitation;
  • Content related to partisan political activities;
  • Viruses, trojan horses, worms, time bombs, corrupted files, malware, spyware or any other similar software that may damage the operation of another's computer or property; and
  • Content that contains intentionally inaccurate information or that is posted with the intent of misleading others.
USER CONTENT AND LICENSE

You may be permitted to submit and distribute User Content. You represent and warrant that any User Content you submit to the Site is accurate and complete and will not violate or infringe the rights of any third party, including without limitation privacy, publicity, intellectual property and any other proprietary or property rights, such as copyright, trademark and patent rights. You represent and warrant that you have all the necessary rights and licenses to use the User Content and to permit use of the User Content by TEA and other users. TEA does not claim ownership of any User Content you may submit or make available for inclusion on the Site or Course. Accordingly, subject to the license granted to TEA below, you will be the sole and exclusive owner of any and all rights, title and interest in and to the User Content.

By posting or transmitting any User Content on or through the Site, you agree that such User Content shall be released under and governed by a Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License (CC BY 4.0), including your name, voice, and/or likeness as contained in your User Content.

PROPRIETARY RIGHTS IN SITE CONTENT; LIMITED LICENSE

Unless otherwise indicated, all content on the Site, including designs, text, graphics, pictures, video, information, applications, software, music and video recordings, and their selection and arrangement (“Site Content”), is the property of TEA or its licensors with all rights reserved. In consideration of acceptance of these TOS, TEA grants you a personal, nontransferable license to access and use the Site and any Site Content. Registered users may download Site Content from the Site only for such user's own personal, noncommercial use or as otherwise permitted by applicable law (such as fair use). Some content in the Site or Course may be provided by third parties, and the use of that content may be subject to rules and restrictions as indicated on such materials or in the Course, including applicable licenses (such as Creative Commons licenses). You agree to be bound by all such rules, restrictions, and any applicable licenses for content provided by third parties.

CERTIFICATES

TEA and other institutions providing courses on the Site (collectively, the “Institutions”) may offer a certificate of achievement or other acknowledgment (a “Certificate”) for students who, in their judgment, have satisfactorily demonstrated mastery of the course material. Certificates will be issued by TEA under the name of the underlying Institutions from where the course originated. The decision whether a Certificate will be awarded to a given student will be solely within the discretion of the awarding Institution. TEA and/or the Institutions providing courses on the Site may choose not to offer a Certificate for some courses.

TRADEMARKS

The “Texas Gateway,” “Gateway Courses,” and “Texas CTE Resource Center” names and associated logos are trademarks (“Trademarks”) of the TEA. You may not use any of these Trademarks, or any variations thereof, without the owner’s prior written consent. You may not use any of these Trademarks, or any variations thereof, for promotional purposes, or in any way that deliberately or inadvertently claims, suggests or, in the TEA’s sole judgment, gives the appearance or impression of a relationship with or endorsement by them.

All Trademarks not owned by TEA or the Institutions that appear on the Site or on or through the services made available on or through the Site, if any, are the property of their respective owners.

Nothing contained on the Site should be construed as granting, by implication, estoppel or otherwise, any license or right to use any Trademark displayed on the Site without the written permission of the owner of the applicable Trademark.

DISCLAIMERS OF WARRANTY/LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITIES

THE SITE AND ANY INFORMATION, CONTENT OR SERVICES MADE AVAILABLE ON OR THROUGH THE SITE ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND (EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR OTHERWISE), INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NON-INFRINGEMENT, EXCEPT INSOFAR AS ANY SUCH IMPLIED WARRANTIES MAY NOT BE DISCLAIMED UNDER APPLICABLE LAW.

TEA AND THE PARTICIPANTS (AS HEREINAFTER DEFINED) DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE SITE WILL OPERATE IN AN UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE MANNER, THAT THE SITE IS FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS, OR THAT THE COURSES OR CONTENT PROVIDED WILL MEET YOUR NEEDS OR EXPECTATIONS. TEA AND THE PARTICIPANTS ALSO MAKE NO WARRANTY ABOUT THE ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, TIMELINESS, OR QUALITY OF THE SITE OR ANY COURSES OR CONTENT, OR THAT ANY PARTICULAR COURSES OR CONTENT WILL CONTINUE TO BE MADE AVAILABLE. “PARTICIPANTS” MEANS THE INSTITUTIONS, THE ENTITIES PROVIDING INFORMATION, CONTENT OR SERVICES FOR THE SITE, THE COURSE INSTRUCTORS AND THEIR STAFFS.

USE OF THE SITE, AND THE CONTENT AND SERVICES OBTAINED FROM OR THROUGH THE SITE, IS AT YOUR OWN RISK. YOUR ACCESS TO OR DOWNLOAD OF INFORMATION, MATERIALS OR DATA THROUGH THE SITE OR ANY REFERENCE SITES IS AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION AND RISK, AND YOU WILL BE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE TO YOUR PROPERTY (INCLUDING YOUR COMPUTER SYSTEM) OR LOSS OF DATA THAT RESULTS FROM THE DOWNLOAD OR USE OF SUCH MATERIAL OR DATA, UNLESS OTHERWISE EXPRESSLY PROVIDED FOR IN THE PRIVACY POLICY.

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, YOU AGREE THAT NEITHER TEG, TEA NOR ANY OF THE PARTICIPANTS WILL BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGES, EITHER ACTUAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THESE TERMS OF SERVICE, OR YOUR (OR ANY THIRD PARTY'S) USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE SITE, OR YOUR PLACEMENT OF CONTENT ON THE SITE, OR YOUR RELIANCE UPON INFORMATION OBTAINED FROM OR THROUGH THE SITE, WHETHER YOUR CLAIM IS BASED IN CONTRACT, TORT, STATUTORY OR OTHER LAW.

IN PARTICULAR, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, NEITHER TEG, TEA NOR ANY OF THE PARTICIPANTS WILL HAVE ANY LIABILITY FOR ANY CONSEQUENTIAL, INDIRECT, PUNITIVE, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, WHETHER FORESEEABLE OR UNFORESEEABLE AND WHETHER OR NOT TEG OR ANY OF THE PARTICIPANTS HAS BEEN NEGLIGENT OR OTHERWISE AT FAULT (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, CLAIMS FOR DEFAMATION, ERRORS, LOSS OF PROFITS, LOSS OF DATA OR INTERRUPTION IN AVAILABILITY OF DATA).

CERTAIN STATE LAWS DO NOT ALLOW LIMITATIONS ON IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF CERTAIN DAMAGES. IF THESE LAWS APPLY TO YOU, SOME OR ALL OF THE ABOVE DISCLAIMERS, EXCLUSIONS, OR LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU, AND YOU MIGHT HAVE ADDITIONAL RIGHTS.

User Content Disclaimer. You understand that when using the Site you will be exposed to User Content from a variety of sources and that neither TEG, TEA, nor the Participants are responsible for the accuracy, usefulness, reliability or intellectual property rights of or relating to such User Content. You further understand and acknowledge that you may be exposed to User Content that is inaccurate, offensive, defamatory, indecent or objectionable and you agree to waive, and hereby do waive, any legal or equitable rights or remedies you have or may have against TEG, TEA, or any of the Participants with respect thereto. Neither TEG, TEA, nor any of the Participants endorse any User Content or any opinion, recommendation or advice expressed therein. Neither TEG, TEA, nor any of the Participants have any obligation to monitor any User Content or any other user communications through the Site.

However, TEA reserves the right to review User Content and to exercise its sole discretion to edit or remove, in whole or in part, any User Content at any time and for any reason, or to allow the Participants to do so. Without limiting the foregoing, upon receiving notice from a user or a content owner that a User Content allegedly does not conform to these TOS, TEA may investigate the allegation and determine in its sole discretion whether to remove the User Content, which it reserves the right to do at any time and without notice.

Links to Other Sites. The Site may include hyperlinks to sites maintained or controlled by others. TEG, TEA, and the Participants are not responsible for and do not routinely screen, approve, review or endorse the contents of or use of any of the products or services that may be offered at these sites. If you decide to access linked third-party websites, you do so at your own risk.

INDEMNIFICATION

You agree to indemnify and hold TEG and TEA harmless from any claims, losses, or damages, including legal fees, resulting from your violation of these TOS and your use of the Site or your placement of any User Content onto the Site, and to fully cooperate in TEG's defense against any such claims.

MISCELLANEOUS

Modifications and Cancellations. TEA reserves the right, for any reason, in its sole discretion and without notice, to terminate, change, suspend or discontinue any aspect of the Site or Services, and TEA will not be liable to you or to any third party for doing so. TEA may also impose rules and limits on the use of the Site, or restrict your access to part, or the entire, Site or Services without notice or penalty. The Site may contain errors and omissions relating to description and availability. TEA reserves the right to correct errors or omissions without prior notice.

Termination Rights. You agree that TEA, for any reason, in its sole discretion, may terminate your use of the Site or your participation in any Services, at any time and that TEA shall not have any liability to you for the termination. If you no longer desire to participate in the Site, you may terminate your participation at any time.

Choice of Law/Forum Selection. You agree that any dispute arising out of or relating to these TOS or any content posted to the Site, whether based in contract, tort, statutory or other law, will be governed by the laws of the state of Texas, excluding its conflicts of law provisions. You further consent to the personal jurisdiction of and exclusive venue in the federal and state courts located in and serving the state of Texas as the legal forum for any such dispute.

General. These TOS, the Honor Code, and the Privacy Policy together constitute the entire agreement between you, the TEA, and TEG and with respect to the subject matter herein and supersedes any and all prior or contemporaneous oral or written agreements. These TOS, and any rights and licenses granted hereunder, may not be transferred or assigned by you, but may be assigned by TEG and/orTEA without restriction. Any attempted transfer or assignment in violation hereof shall be null and void. The failure of any party to exercise or enforce any right or provision of these TOS shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision. If any provision of these TOS is found by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, the parties nevertheless agree that the court should endeavor to give effect to the parties' intentions as reflected in the provision, and the other provisions of the TOS remain in full force and effect.

Privacy Policy

This privacy policy (“Privacy Policy”) tells you about the information that the Texas Education Agency (“TEA”) and TEG Technologies, LLC (“TEG”) collect in connection with the operation of this website and any other websites of TEG with links to this policy (collectively, the “Site”).

This Privacy Policy only applies to information that we collect through the Site and does not apply to information that we may collect from you in other ways (for example, this policy does not apply to information that you may provide to us over the phone, by fax or through conventional mail). In addition, please note that your education records are protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (“FERPA”) to the extent FERPA applies.

YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THIS PRIVACY POLICY AND REVISIONS TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

By using the Site, you agree to this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to this Privacy Policy, you may not use the Site. The Company reserves the right, in our discretion, to change, modify, add or remove portions of this Privacy Policy from time to time, without prior notice to you. All revisions will be posted to the Site. By accessing the Site after any changes have been made, you signify your agreement on a prospective basis to the modified Privacy Policy and any changes contained therein. Be sure to return to this page periodically to ensure familiarity with the most current version of this Privacy Policy.

USERNAMES AND POSTINGS

Comments or other information posted by you to our forums, wikis or other areas of the Site designed for public communications or communications among registered class members may be viewed and downloaded by others who visit the Site. For this reason, we encourage you to use discretion when deciding whether to post any information that can be used to identify you to those forums (or other public or classwide areas).

PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION

As used in this Privacy Policy, Personally Identifiable Information (“PII”) means any information about yourself that you may provide to us when using the Site, such as when you sign up for a user account, which may include (but is not limited to) your name and contact information. We endeavor to limit the collection of PII to what we need with respect to specific Site activities in order to satisfy business, legal, or regulatory requirements.

INFORMATION WE COLLECT AND HOW WE USE IT

We collect information, including PII (described above), when you sign up for a user account, participate in online courses, send us email messages and/or participate in our public forums. We also collect certain usage information about participant performance and patterns of learning.

TEA stores only the information provided to us by users. As a custodian of PII, TEA complies with the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), to the extent FERPA applies, in its handling of education records. Upon termination or cancellation of a Customer contract, TEA will delete all PII data from its records. TEA may retain aggregate, non-identifying usage information for the purpose of reporting, analytics, and improving TEA's products and services.

Upon our collection of your PII, TEA may use such information internally, separately or in combination with pre-existing information, for the following purposes:

  • To provide any requested services;
  • To troubleshoot problems with the Site, or any services, as requested;
  • To improve our products;
  • To customize your experience, content or homepage on the Site;
  • To enforce our Terms of Use;
  • To generate aggregate statistical studies and conduct research; or
  • To provide any legitimate business service or product.

TEA does not provide, sell or lend any personally identifiable information to any third party.

COOKIES

Cookies help us in many ways to make your use of the Site more enjoyable and meaningful, such as understanding usage patterns and improving functionality of the Site. Cookies are text information files that your web browser places on your computer when you use a website. TEG may use such “cookie” technology to obtain non-personal information from you.

DATA SHARING AND TRANSFER

TEG Technologies, LLC (“TEG”) will provide data and the personal identifiable information on users and the analysis of trends for all users on an aggregate basis to some or all of the following (collectively, the “Customer”): the TEA, a user’s school district, or a user’s school. TEG provides such information as a service to its Customer but it does not control the use of such data after it provides it to the Customer. Consequently, TEG takes no responsibility or liability for the use of such data after it provides it to the Customer.

Neither the TEA nor TEG provides, sells or lends any personally identifiable information to any third party.

TEA reserves the right to disclose your personally identifiable information based on the good faith belief that such action is necessary or appropriate to: (a) protect and defend the rights or property of TEA, or (b) act in urgent circumstances to protect the safety or security of the public or of users of TEA’s services and/or the Site.

Your personal information will generally be stored in TEG’s databases, which are located in the United States. Our policy is to ensure that your information is always granted the same level of protection no matter where it is stored.

LINKS TO OTHER WEBSITES

The Site contains links to websites published by third parties, including other content providers. These other websites are not under our control, and you acknowledge and agree that we are not responsible for the collection and use of your information by such websites, unless we have otherwise indicated in this Privacy Policy. We encourage you to be aware when you are be redirected to a third party website and review the privacy policies of each website you visit and use.

SECURITY

TEG has a program designed in concert and with the approval of the TEA to protect PII in its possession or control. This is done through a variety of privacy and security policies, processes, and procedures, including administrative, physical, and technical safeguards that reasonably and appropriately protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the PII that it creates, receives, maintains, or transmits. While the security of users’ PII is of the utmost importance to TEG, no method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage, is 100% secure; and therefore, TEG cannot guarantee its absolute security.

PRIVACY CONCERNS

If you have privacy concerns, have disclosed data you would prefer to keep private, or would like to access the information we maintain about you, please contact us at pass-support@texasgateway.org.