Legal Information

General Legal Requirements for Approved Locations

The Office of General Counsel (OGC) has approved the following operational guidelines for the EnglishConnect program. These guidelines will apply worldwide to EnglishConnect 1 and 2, subject to any country-specific legal requirements outlined in the EnglishConnect legal summary for each country (see country-specific requirements at englishconnect.org/leader/approved-locations).

Obtain parental consent for each participant 18 years old or younger using the parental consent form. Forms are available in multiple languages online at englishconnect.org/resources/leader.
- Obtain both parents’ signatures if possible. If someone 18 years old or younger is living on his or her own, parental consent is not needed.
- Completed forms should be stored by local leaders and be available for audit.
Require instructors to complete the Church training “Protecting Children and Youth.” Follow all country standards for vetting and calling teachers of youth for any EnglishConnect teacher who will be teaching anyone younger than 21.
Do not charge any fees or costs to participants for program participation.
- EnglishConnect participants can download program materials online for free, or local units can purchase materials for the group through regular distribution channels at store.churchofjesuschrist.org. Participants may also purchase materials through this channel if they desire.
- EnglishConnect teachers should not give or receive money or gifts as part of any tutoring or teaching relationship with EnglishConnect participants.
Include substantial religious content in at least one-third of all teaching. (Religious content should take up 20 minutes of each hour of instruction or 30 minutes of each 90 minutes of instruction.) Note: If the lessons are delivered as designed and a teacher always includes the activity “Discuss the Principle of Learning” during the conversation group, this requirement will be met.
Follow all program guidelines contained in the Implementation Guide for EnglishConnect and the teacher manual, including use of the online registration system QuickReg (quickreg.englishconnect.org) to ensure data privacy.
To avoid jeopardizing missionary visas or the Church’s legal status in a country, any mission that has never used English teaching as a contact method must obtain specific OGC approval before using EnglishConnect materials.

EnglishConnect 3 is operated and implemented by BYU–Pathway Worldwide. As such, it operates under the same legal conditions as BYU–Pathway.

Advertising

In countries where advertising EnglishConnect 1 and 2 has been permitted, local stakes, wards, and missions may promote EnglishConnect 1 and 2 groups to the broader community in accordance with any country-specific advertising guidelines (see country-specific requirements at englishconnect.org/leader/approved-locations). Advertisements should contain all of the following:

Prominent placement of the Church’s name
A statement that there is no cost for EnglishConnect 1 and 2
A statement that EnglishConnect 1 and 2 do not carry any accreditation.

Copyright and Licensing

EnglishConnect is a program provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. All rights to EnglishConnect materials are owned or licensed by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. for use by Church units such as stakes, districts, and missions. Any other use of EnglishConnect materials requires prior written permission. To request permission to use EnglishConnect materials, please complete a request form at Permissions.ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

Minors

EnglishConnect groups must always follow Church policies for protecting youth (which includes participants 18 years old or younger). Minors must have a signed parental consent form before attending an EnglishConnect group. Forms are available in multiple languages online at englishconnect.org/resources/leader. Completed forms must be stored by local leaders and be available for audit.

Because EnglishConnect learners can include minors, ecclesiastical leaders should interview each potential instructor and review the candidate’s membership record for annotations before issuing a calling. Additionally, at least two responsible adults should be present at all times during group meetings. Teachers should not work one-on-one with a minor participant in private. You must follow these policies even if the group is meeting virtually.

Minors Participating in Virtual Conversation Groups

Minors may join virtual EnglishConnect 1 and 2 conversation groups only with parental permission and when the group is facilitated by at least two instructors.

To prioritize safety, online conversation groups involving minors must be set up to avoid one-on-one online interactions between minors and instructors. Minors can participate in online conversation groups only if there are two or more instructors present in the group meeting.

In addition, no EnglishConnect instructor should text, email, or contact a minor without another person copied on the communication. For in-person visits or phone calls, another adult should be present. Where possible, an instructor should oversee breakout group interactions during the online conversation group.

Privacy

EnglishConnect is a program provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For details on how your personal data is processed, please visit ChurchofJesusChrist.org and click Privacy Notice at the bottom of the page.

All participants must accept the terms of participation, which can be found at ChurchofJesusChrist.org/legal/englishconnect-terms-of-participation. Participants can accept the terms of participation electronically when an EnglishConnect facilitator registers them in QuickReg.

EnglishConnect teachers should not post pictures on social media of those they tutor or teach.

Accreditation

EnglishConnect does not carry any type of accreditation, degree, or credit by any educational or training program or training institution. Participation is voluntary. Participants can leave the program or stop attending at any time.