Community Code of Conduct

Last updated: Aug 30, 2026 8:48 PM

Our commitment

Project Polaris is committed to a welcoming, respectful, inclusive, and learning-focused community. This Community Code of Conduct explains the conduct we expect wherever people participate in or represent Project Polaris.

Scope

This policy applies to interactive online occurrences, Help Desk Meetups, Workshops, classes, Mentoring, and other Offerings where it is adopted. It also applies to related chat, email, forms, and community communication channels. It covers interactions among Participants, Moderators, Volunteers, Presenters, Mentors, Instructors, and other Project Polaris representatives.

Context and impact matter. Conduct outside an official Project Polaris space may fall within this policy when it materially affects participant safety or participation in a Project Polaris space.

Expected conduct

Participants and representatives are expected to:

• Treat people with respect, patience, and empathy.
• Welcome different experience levels, backgrounds, identities, abilities, perspectives, and communication styles.
• Make space for others and avoid dominating a conversation.
• Give constructive, relevant feedback without personal attacks.
• Respect privacy, boundaries, names, and pronouns.
• Follow Moderator instructions intended to protect safety, access, and productive participation.
• Ask before sharing another person’s personal information, work, image, or words outside the occurrence.

Unacceptable conduct

Unacceptable conduct includes:

• Harassment, discrimination, intimidation, threats, stalking, or sustained disruption.
• Derogatory or demeaning comments based on identity, background, disability, experience level, or another personal characteristic.
• Unwanted sexual attention, sexualized language or imagery, or inappropriate physical or virtual contact.
• Deliberate misgendering, deadnaming, or refusal to respect a person’s stated name or pronouns.
• Publishing or threatening to publish private or identifying information without permission.
• Unauthorized recording, photography, screenshots, transcription, streaming, or AI capture.
• Spam, impersonation, deception, illegal conduct, or misuse of Project Polaris spaces.
• Retaliation against a person who raises a concern or participates in a review.

Respectful disagreement and good-faith questions are not misconduct.

Privacy

Free Help Desks are not recorded. Video conferencing platform recording features and AI features are disabled for Free Help Desks. Participants must not independently record, photograph, screenshot, transcribe, stream, or use AI capture features during an occurrence without prior authorization and the informed agreement of affected people.

Accessibility and accommodations

Project Polaris offers confidential, practical adjustments for visual or sensory processing sensitivities, disability-related or specific neurodivergent needs, privacy or safety constraints, temporary hardware failures, temporary limited or unstable bandwidth, sustained and purposeful low light conditions, and other access barriers that would prevent full participation.

A Participant may contact a Moderator in advance or by private message. No public disclosure of a diagnosis or detailed personal circumstances is required. Project Polaris will work with the Participant on a practical adjustment so they can participate as fully as possible.

Reporting a concern

You may report a concern by privately contacting a Moderator during an occurrence or by emailing hello@polarispathway.org.

When you are comfortable sharing them, include what happened, when and where it happened, who was involved, and any supporting context. If there is immediate danger, contact appropriate local emergency services. Project Polaris is not an emergency-response service.

Response and enforcement

Moderators may take immediate, safety-preserving action during an occurrence, including redirecting a conversation, muting a Participant, pausing an interaction, or removing someone from the occurrence.

At any time, Project Polaris may use a proportionate response, such as:

1. Private guidance or correction.
2. A warning and clear participation expectations.
3. Conditions on continued participation.
4. Temporary suspension from one or more Project Polaris spaces.
5. Permanent exclusion when necessary.

Project Polaris will consider context, impact, patterns, safety, and relevant information. No particular consequence is guaranteed.

Confidentiality, good faith, and retaliation

Project Polaris will maintain confidentiality to the extent reasonably practicable. Limited disclosure may be necessary for a fair response, immediate safety action, or legal obligation.

Good-faith reports and participation in a review are protected. A report is not required to be substantiated to be made in good faith. Knowingly false reports are not acceptable. Retaliation against anyone who raises a concern or participates in a review is prohibited.

Contact

For questions, accommodations, or concerns about this Code of Conduct, contact hello@polarispathway.org.