Safety

A program built to be trusted with your kid.

We work directly with students in grades 5 through 12, and we treat that responsibility seriously at every level of the program.

Every coach passes a background check

Before working with students, every coach, starting with our founder, completes a background check. That standard doesn't relax as the team grows. It's the bar for every coach we add.

A written code of conduct, not an unwritten one

Coaches operate under a written code of conduct covering how sessions are run and how coaches communicate with students. It's already the standard we hold today's coaching to, not something we're planning to formalize eventually.

Independent oversight, not just internal

We hire and pay for an external HR service specifically to review coaching conduct, on top of our own internal review. That's a real, ongoing cost we take on deliberately.

Sessions run on managed accounts, not personal ones

Live sessions and messaging run through Google Workspace-managed video and chat, not a coach's personal number, personal Discord, or personal social accounts.

Nothing happens off the books

Every 1:1 and cohort session produces a written note the family can see in the portal. Attendance, scheduling, and coaching notes are all visible, not verbal-only and unrecorded.

Non-exclusive by design

Families are never required to route everything through us exclusively. You can keep a school team or another program running in parallel, which keeps more adults in the loop, not fewer.

If something feels off

Reach out directly at safety@podiumdebate.com, or use the same contact you'd use to book a call. Every concern gets a direct, personal response.