Program Policies

Nondiscrimination Policy

WildWise School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national, and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.

Refund & Transfer Policy

Thank you for considering one of our unique, life-affirming wilderness and intensive programs! Here are the details of our cancellation and refund policy.

Our Special Use Permits with the National Park Service, Mt. Rainier National Park, Kitsap County Parks, and Washington State Parks limits most of our programs to 12 participants per age group, with 2-3 adult guides, mentors, or instructors who are hired in advance based on enrollment before the program begins. Due to the intensive nature and depth of commitment involved in our programs, it often takes time for families to research, connect with staff, and decide to enroll. In addition, families tend to book their educational and summer activities far in advance. It is very rare that participants join us in the last few weeks before a program starts, so a late cancellation is likely to leave an empty space on the program.

WildWise School charges a program specific non-refundable application fee and/or deposit, which will be applied to the course tuition. Transfer requests will be provided based on course type:

Forest School, NatureQuest, Workshops & Intensives – Within 60 days of the program start date, the course deposit and tuition is non-transferable and non-refundable. Outside of 60 days, transfers will be processed upon request minus the application and/or deposit fee. Transfers will be subject to an additional $75 application fee.

Guided Backpacking, Spring and Summer Camps, Rites of Passage – Within 60 days of the start date, all tuition is non-transferable and non-refundable. Outside of 60 days, transfers will be subject to the application fee and/or deposit.

Deposits are nonrefundable

As an educational, mission-based nonprofit, we channel all available funds to run our lean operation, deliver soul-enriching leadership training and community programs, and prepare for transformational rites of passage. Your deposit funds essential operations and securing skilled staff and necessary resources in advance, and is nonrefundable.

Available refunds for tuition paid to WildWise School

Based on when we receive your cancellation, the following refunds are available:

• 60 days or more before program start date: deposit nonrefundable, all remaining tuition paid is refundable
• 59 days or more before program start date: deposit nonrefundable, half remaining tuition paid is refundable (see Exception*)
• After start of program, no refunds are given
.  In some cases of extenuating circumstances, solely at WildWise discretion, partial credit towards a future program may be allowed.

This refund policy does not apply to WildWise School Payment Plans.

All refunds issued will be less processing fees for the entire transaction as assessed by our credit card processor.

Payment Plans (Monthly Payments) for Forest School and other program tuition

• NO REFUNDS are available for students on a Payment Plan;
• Payment plan payments begin on the date you enroll for the program and are due on the first day of each month following enrollment if before the 15th day of the enrollment month.  If enrollment is after the 15th day of the month, payments are due beginning on the first day of the following month.
• Payments not received on Payment Plans prior to the program start date may result in participant not being able to attend until the account is made current;
• Payment Plan payments DO NOT begin when the term begins, they begin from the date you enrolled in the program;
• ALL REMAINING PAYMENTS MUST BE MADE UNTIL THE FULL PROGRAM COST IS PAID IN FULL EVEN IF YOU ARE NO LONGER ENROLLED IN COURSES;
• You are still responsible for all payments as if you had paid in full. The 3-month Payment Plan or other Payment Plan option choices does not remove your obligation to make payment in full for the term you have enrolled in;
• Payment plans and Monthly Payment options are offered as a courtesy to our students and families.  Forest School is not a drop-in program, and we do not offer trial periods;
• Failure of you or your participant to meet the Readiness Checklist for their enrolled program does not exempt you from fulfilling the agreed upon Payment Plan contract;
• No deviations from your Payment Plan contract are permitted to be made by anyone other the Executive Director, and with approval of our Board of Directors.  No other Directors, staff, or volunteers are permitted to modify financial agreements between you and WildWise School.

Late Payment and Interest Charges

Parents/Guardians must keep billing account information up to date. Returned or payment failure may incur a fee. Repayments MUST BE RECEIVED within 5 days of the payment failure notification. Penalties and fees are applied per student (if you are 5 days late on a payment and have 2 students enrolled, the fee will be $25.00 x2).  A $25.00 late fee will be added to your account if your tuition payment is more than 5 days late, an additional $50.00 will be added for each subsequent 7 days without payment and/or communication. Failure to maintain timely payments may result in the student being dropped from the program. A late payment penalty of $100.00 is added to your account if you still have a tuition balance on the last day of the term.  Interest charges of 1.5 percent of your unpaid tuition balance is added to your account on the last day of each month.  Invoices may be sent by WildWise School as a courtesy.  The non-receipt of an invoice does not exempt you from payment obligations, late fees, penalties, and interest.  It is not the mission of WildWise School or its staff to be debt collectors, core principles we teach to our students include personal responsibility, honor, integrity, and communication.  We apply these principles to our Payment Plan policies as well.  When you enrolled in a Payment Plan, the terms and conditions were made clear to you, and you agreed to them.  It is not the job of WildWise School staff to come to you for payment, it is your responsibility to be timely and uphold your agreements.  Most of the fees described above can be avoided by communicating to the Executive Director at aidoneus@wildwiseschool.org.  Communication regarding alternative payment arrangements are not accepted or binding unless authorized specifically by the Executive Director.  No other WildWise School Director, Employee, or Volunteer is authorized to make financial arrangements on Payment Plans.

Collection Procedures

If you still have an unpaid tuition balance at the close of a term, you will receive a final notice. This final notice gives you approximately 30 days to pay your account in full before it is sent to an outside collection agency.  All accounts who become more than 30 days in arrears, will be forwarded to an outside collection agency for the remaining balance plus any and all incurred fees and interests.

Collection Accounts

If your account has been turned over to a collection agency, it will be turned into the following agency:

Saba & Associates Collections
P.O. Box 1784
Poulsbo, WA 98370
360-779-3646
info@collectmoremoney.com

*Exception:
 In the case of cancellation within 30 days of program start due to serious injury or emergency, half of your remaining tuition paid (not including nonrefundable deposit) will be applied as a credit towards a future program.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions, and we look forward to your participation in our programs. Contact us at info@WildWiseSchool.org

Updated policy in the emerging reality of COVID-19

WildWise School is assessing the rapidly evolving situation with COVID-19 (the novel coronavirus), and continues to monitor and follow the direction of public health authorities and National Parks and other venues, to best support the health of our cherished participants, volunteers, staff and communities. Please see section “Official Sources for latest updates” below. Meanwhile, we encourage all of our staff and community to follow CDC guidelines, and local health advisories.

COVID-19 related Summer Program STATUS:  

Currently, WildWise is actively preparing to run ALL Programs

COVID-19 Mask and Vaccine Exemption Forms

COVID-19-related Program CANCELLATION POLICY:

Much of our operating expenses happen in the months leading up to our programs. As a small non-profit we rely on program tuition to fund these preparations, hence our standard payment in full dates for our programs. We understand that the COVID-19 situation presents families with a much bigger uncertainty and financial risk, when deciding whether to commit to a WildWise School experience. We welcome conversations as you consider securing your enrollment. Please contact us at info@WildWiseSchool.org. We have also made the following modifications to our Cancellation policy to reduce some of the uncertainty in the event of a COVID-19 development for your family, WildWise School or the public.

1. Cancellation at your request:
   • If you or your family chooses to cancel your program participation voluntarily, as part of your own risk management decisions (you have not suffered a direct COVID-19 impact in the form of illness, high-risk exposure, or public quarantine), WildWise School’s ongoing program refund policy applies (see above)
2. You, or someone in your immediate family, gets sick and you cannot participate:
   • WildWise School’s ongoing refund policy applies (see above)
   • If your COVID-19-related cancellation is at 29 days or less, it will qualify for the Exception rule for serious injury or emergency in our regular Summer Program Refund Policy (see above): your full tuition paid (not including nonrefundable deposit) will be applied as a credit towards a future program. This will require a statement from a doctor confirming the evaluation of sickness or high-risk exposure.
3. Cancellation of program required at the direction of public health authorities or our national or local park locations, or due to COVID-19-related low enrollment (fewer than 4 participants) or Team unavailability:
   • Your full tuition payment including deposit will be applied to the following season’s program, or can be credited towards a different program 
- consider donating all or a portion of your paid balance of tuition.
4. COVID-19 cancellation policies do not apply to Payment Plan or Monthly Payment students.

Invitation to Contribute:

If you are able, in the event of an unavoidable cancellation due to health authority or national or local park closure, WildWise School would greatly appreciate it if you could share in the cost of what would be a devastating organizational loss of summer program by donating all or some portion of your paid tuition (not including nonrefundable deposit) — to help us support the guides who committed their time and lives to be available to lead your trip, and are now out of work, as well as to help cover the overhead costs already incurred as we prepared for and supported your program.

Any Questions?

We have an open-door policy and welcome any and all questions regarding our approach to managing COVID-19. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions, and we look forward to your participation in our programs. 
Contact us at info@WildWiseSchool.org

Official Sources for latest updates:

• Center for Disease Control (CDC)
• World Health Organization (WHO)
• State and local health authorities (WA State)

Annual membership and monthly dues are non-refundable

All changes are subject to availability.

Confirmations

All applicants will receive a Confirmation letter or email within two weeks of Wild Wise School receipt of your completed registration form. If your workshop contains an overnight component a packing list can be found in the overnight handbook on the camp page. Important: Please do not consider enrollment in a workshop official until you have received confirmation from Wild Wise School. Please check your bulk mail folder to see if it has been redirected to there.

Health & Safety

WildWise School reserves the right to refuse service to anyone. We strive to meet the needs of all participants, building a healthy working, learning and creative environment for all involved, staff, student, parents, and family. Very rarely, and almost never, this requires the dismissal of a youth or adult participant. If this occurs prior to the program we evaluate the circumstance. There will be no refunds if dismissal occurs during the program. We take the responsibility for the health of every team member seriously and set our standards high, addressing challenges as it affects the emotional and physical well being of the group and program team, other paying clients continuing to derive value from the program and the emotional well being of our staff. Grounds for evaluation and possibly dismissal includes but is not limited to: dangerous activities, emotional distress beyond the scope of our instructors, racist, sexist and otherwise bigoted behavior, accusatory and aggressive unsolicited advise, expectations that participants or staff conform to another person’s aggressively specific moral values and overwhelming, unspoken or indirect verbal, written or physically aggressive behavior. This is at the discretion of the instructor staff. We definitely appreciate well thought out and well versed feedback, both positive and negative, about how we can better meet each others needs in a functional way.

Air Pollution and WildWise School Activities

Based on recommendations from the Washington State Department of Health and Department of Ecology.
Decisions about morning activities will be made by 7:30 a.m. Decisions about afternoon/after school activities will be made by 11:30 a.m.

Program Standards

Program standards are set as goals only. These are subject to change based on our team collaboration with participants, including youth. They are also subject to change for other circumstantial issues, including but not limited to weather, cancellation of contractors, change in staff and/or instructors, and other options which may arise that instructors believe are more thematically appropriate. We are an outdoor program. Many of our activities are strenuous. We are not responsible for you or your child’s ability to participate in any activity or any program due to physical or emotional limits.

Advisory Board – Meetings

The WildWise School Advisory Board meets when called upon by the Executive and Program Directors.

Board of Directors – Meetings

The WildWise School Board of Directors meets once per month on the closest Saturday to each New Moon.  Emergency meetings may be held at the discretion of the Board of Directors regardless of lunar cycle.

Founder’s Council – Meetings

The Feral Pagans Founder’s Council (Our Parent Organization) meets eight times per year, 4 times per year during the Vernal and Autumnal Equinox and Summer and Winter Solstice, and 4 times per year in the cross-quarters depending on the lunar cycle.  Emergency meetings may be held at the discretion of the Founder’s Council.

Privacy Policy

We value your confidentiality and privacy. Read our Privacy Policy.

Changes to These Policies

The above stated policies may be revised, edited, or modified by WildWise School, the Founder’s Council, the Board of Directors, or the Executive Director at any time.  Those changes will be reflected on this page.

Conflict of Interest Policy

Purpose

The purpose of the Conflict of Interest Policy is to protect the interests of WildWise School, a tax-exempt organization, when it is contemplating entering into a transaction or arrangement that might benefit the private interest of an officer, Director, committee member, member, or employee of WildWise School or might result in a possible excess benefit transaction. This policy is intended to supplement but not replace any applicable state and federal conflict of interest laws applicable to nonprofit and charitable organizations.

Definitions

Interested Person

• Any Board Director, officer, member of a committee, member, or employee with Board-delegated powers, who has a direct or indirect financial interest, as defined below, is an interested person.

Financial Interest

• A person has a financial interest if the person has, directly or indirectly, through business, investment, or family, any of the following.
• An ownership or investment interest in any entity with which WildWise School has a transaction or arrangement.
• A compensation arrangement with WildWise School or with any entity or individual with which WildWise School has a transaction or arrangement.
• A potential ownership or investment interest in, or compensation arrangement with, any entity or individual with which WildWise School is negotiating a transaction or arrangement.

Compensation includes direct and indirect remuneration, as well as gifts or favors that are not insubstantial. A financial interest is not necessarily a conflict of interest. Under procedures, a person who has a financial interest may have a conflict of interest only if the Board of Directors or committee decides that a conflict of interest exists.

Procedures

Duty to Disclose

In connection with any actual or possible conflict of interest, an interested person must disclose the existence of the financial interest and be given the opportunity to disclose all material facts to the Board of Directors, and members of committees, or employees with  Board-delegated powers considering the proposed transaction or arrangement.

Determining Whether a Conflict of Interest Exists

After disclosure of the financial interest and all material facts, and after any discussion with the interested person, the Director, committee member or employee shall leave the Board of Directors or committee meeting while the determination of a conflict of interest is discussed and voted upon. The remaining Board of Directors or committee members shall decide if a conflict of interest exists.

Procedures for Addressing the Conflict of Interest

• An interested person may make a presentation at the Board of Directors or committee meeting, but after the presentation, the interested person shall leave the meeting during the discussion of, and the vote on, the transaction or arrangement involving the possible conflict of interest.
• The President of (Organization’s) Board of Directors or committee shall, if appropriate, appoint a disinterested person or committee to investigate alternatives to the proposed transaction or arrangement.
• After exercising due diligence, the Board of Directors or committee shall determine whether WildWise School can obtain with reasonable efforts, a more advantageous transaction or arrangement from a person or entity that would not give rise to a conflict of interest.
• If a more advantageous transaction or arrangement is not reasonably possible under circumstances not producing a conflict of interest, the  Board of Directors or committee shall determine by a majority vote of the disinterested Directors or committee meetings whether the transaction or arrangement is in WildWise School’s best interest, for its own benefit, and whether it is fair and reasonable. In conformity with the above determination, it shall make its decision as to whether or not to enter into the transaction or arrangement.

Violations of the Conflicts of Interest Policy

• If the Board of Directors or committee has reasonable cause to believe a Director, committee member, or employee has failed to disclose actual or possible conflicts of interest, it shall inform the Executive Director, committee member, or employee of the basis for such belief and afford the Director, committee member, or employee an opportunity to explain the alleged failure to disclose.
• If, after hearing the Board Director’s, committee member’s, or employee’s response and after making further investigation as warranted by the circumstances, the Board of Directors or committee determines that the Director, committee member, or employee has failed to disclose an actual or possible conflict of interest, it shall take appropriate disciplinary and corrective action.

Records of Proceedings

The minutes of the Board of Directors and all committees with Board-delegated powers shall contain the following information.

• The names of the persons who disclosed or otherwise were found to have a financial interest in connection with an actual or possible conflict of interest, the nature of the financial interest, any action taken to determine whether a conflict of interest was present, and the Board of Director’s or committee’s decision as to whether a conflict of interest in fact existed.
• The names of the persons who were present for discussions and votes relating to the transaction or arrangement, the content of the discussion, including any alternatives to the proposed transaction or arrangement, and a record of any votes taken in connection with the proceedings.

Compensation

• A voting Director of the Board who receives compensation, directly or indirectly, from WildWise School for services, is precluded from voting on matters pertaining to that Director’s compensation.
• A voting member of any committee whose jurisdiction includes compensation matters and who receives compensation, directly or indirectly, from WildWise School for services is precluded from voting on matters pertaining to that committee member’s compensation.
• No voting Director of the Board or any committee member, whose jurisdiction includes compensation matters and who receives compensation, directly or indirectly, from WildWise School, either individually or collectively, is prohibited from providing information to any committee regarding compensation.

Annual Statements

Each Board Director, committee member, and employee of a committee with Board-delegated powers shall annually sign a statement, which affirms such person:

• Has received a copy of the conflicts of interest policy,
• Has read and understands the policy,
• Has agreed to comply with the policy, and
• Understands that WildWise School is charitable and in order to maintain its federal tax exemption it must engage primarily in activities that accomplish one or more of its tax-exempt purposes.

Periodic Reviews

To ensure WildWise School operates in a manner consistent with charitable purposes and does not engage in activities that could jeopardize its tax-exempt status, periodic reviews shall be conducted.

The periodic reviews shall, at a minimum, include the following subjects.

• Whether compensation arrangements and benefits are reasonable, based on competent survey information, and the result of arm’s length bargaining.
• Whether partnerships, joint ventures, and arrangements with management of WildWise School conform to WildWise School’s written policies, are properly recorded, reflect reasonable investment or payments for goods and services, further charitable purposes and do not result in inurement, impermissible private benefit or in an excess benefit transaction.

Use of Outside Experts

• When conducting the periodic reviews as provided for in Periodic Reviews, WildWise School may, but need not, use outside advisors. If outside experts are used, their use shall not relieve the Board of Directors of its responsibility for ensuring that periodic reviews are conducted.