Frequently Asked Questions and Policies

Answers to questions listed here stand as policy. Registration or participation in any of my classes constitute an agreement to abide by these policies. If you can't find your question below, please submit your question using the contact form.

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Can we use ESA funds to pay for class?

You can use ESA funds to pay for any of my classes. Direct payment is strongly preferred, though all ESA payment methods are available.

Can we use our ESA debit card to pay for class?

Yes, my MCC codes are set up so that ESA Debit card transactions should work.

Can we use ESA Vendor Pay to pay for class?

Yes, you may use ESA Vendor Pay to pay for the class. However, direct payment is strongly preferred.

To use ESA Vendor Pay, email me to request supporting documentation. In the Vendor Pay area of ClassWallet, search for “Dan Stephens, Bible Teacher.” Once payment is received, you will be issued a coupon code to complete registration. Your student's spot in class is reserved only after registration is complete. 

Direct payment is strongly preferred because the only step in the process is registration. The ESA Vendor Pay process has six steps. Five of the six steps involve waiting times in which another student may register for the class before you can complete the ESA Vendor Pay process.

What is your student conduct policy?

Students are expected to arrive on time for class and behave respectfully towards me and their classmates. Because my classes are discussion-heavy, respectful conduct includes speaking only in turn and keeping dialogue respectful even when the topic is emotionally charged or involves points of disagreement.

Students unable to behave respectfully will receive one warning before they are asked to leave class for the day. If a student is asked to leave class three times in a trimester, that student will be suspended for the remainder of the trimester. If a student is suspended from three trimesters, the student will be expelled from further participation in any of my classes.

What is your tardiness and attendance policy?

Tardiness is generally disrespectful to the class and disruptive to the learning environment. And… Life happens. 

Students younger than driving age: Non-driving-age students unable to drive themselves and unable to arrive within twelve minutes of the class start time should not bother attending. Students arriving late but within twelve minutes of the class start time will receive a mark for tardiness unless I receive an email from the student's parents requesting reconsideration. Students who receive three marks for tardiness in a trimester will be suspended for the remainder of the trimester.

Students who can drive themselves: Driving-age students unable to arrive within six minutes of the class time should not bother attending. Students arriving late but within six minutes of the class time will receive a mark for tardiness unless I receive an email from the student's parents requesting reconsideration. Students who receive three marks for tardiness in a trimester will be suspended for the remainder of the trimester.

Reconsideration on marks for tardiness: To request a reconsideration, I must receive an email from the student's parents within 72 hours of the day the tardiness occurred. Reconsideration is at my sole discretion. In general, medical reasons, family emergencies, etc., will be sufficient to remove the mark for tardiness. Please keep reconsideration emails short and to the point.

Do not use class time to request reconsideration. Students or parents who use class time to request reconsideration will be automatically denied, no matter the reason. Classes are only an hour long, and when students or parents use class time for this conversation, they steal time from the rest of the class. I have absolutely zero tolerance for this.

What is your refund policy?

Refunds will not be issued for students under suspension for conduct or repeated tardiness. Refunds will not be issued after the sixth week of the trimester. Pro-rated refunds will be issued at my sole discretion up to the fifth week of class upon written request.

How do you grade?

By default, no grading services are provided. As home-educated students, grading is up to the parents. Parents may choose to purchase the Grade Recommendations add-on at the time of registration only. For students with this extra service, I will review their work, provide detailed feedback, and recommend a grade for each paper or presentation and the course as a whole.

Grading rubric for papers (0-3 points per item):

  1. Did the student use proper spelling and grammar?
  2. Did the student write within the length requirements?
  3. Did the student use open-ended questions to articulate disagreements with course content?
  4. Did the student engage authentically with each assigned question (each question will be scored separately)?

Grading rubric for character formation presentations (0-3 points per item):

  1. Did the student keep a reading journal as assigned?
  2. Did the student involve his spiritual father in choosing a life experiment?
  3. Did the student's ideas for action reflect genuine engagement with the content of the assigned reading?
  4. Did the student present within the specified length of time?
  5. Did the student follow through with the life experiment he chose?