Forum Rules & Moderation
Project 56 is a learning community. These rules keep the forum safe, respectful, and productive for everyone.
Community Guidelines
- Be respectful. Treat every member with kindness. Disagree with ideas, not people. No name-calling, insults, or personal attacks.
- No bullying or harassment. Targeting, intimidating, or repeatedly bothering another student is never acceptable, online or offline.
- No spam or self-promotion. Do not post repetitive content, advertisements, unrelated links, or chain messages.
- No inappropriate content. NSFW material, violence, drug references, and any content unsuitable for a school environment is strictly prohibited.
- Protect personal information. Never share your own or anyone else's personal details — full name, address, phone number, passwords, or photos of others without consent.
- Stay on topic. Post in the correct subject channel. Off-topic conversations clutter the forum and make it harder for others to find help.
- No cheating or plagiarism. Do not share assessment answers, copy others' work, or help others cheat. You may discuss approaches and concepts.
- Use appropriate language. No profanity, slurs, or offensive language of any kind. This includes creative spelling or abbreviations intended to bypass filters.
- Respect moderators. Follow instructions from teachers and moderators. If you disagree with a decision, use the appeals process.
- One account per person. Do not create multiple accounts to evade bans or manipulate the forum.
Offence Levels
Violations are classified into three severity levels. The moderation response depends on the severity and whether the user has prior offences.
Minor Offences
First-time or low-impact violations that are usually unintentional.
- Off-topic posting in a subject channel
- Minor spam (e.g., repeated short messages)
- Mild rudeness or unconstructive comments
- Accidentally posting in the wrong channel
- Excessive use of caps lock or emojis
Consequence: Verbal warning — 1 strike
Moderate Offences
Intentional rule-breaking that negatively affects other users.
- Targeted insults or personal attacks
- Persistent spamming after a warning
- Posting misleading or deliberately wrong answers
- Sharing links to inappropriate external sites
- Mini-modding (aggressively policing others without authority)
- Sharing assessment answers or encouraging cheating
Consequence: 24-hour mute — 2 strikes
Severe Offences
Serious violations that threaten community safety. Zero tolerance.
- Bullying, harassment, or threatening behaviour
- Posting NSFW, violent, or illegal content
- Sharing personal information of others (doxxing)
- Hate speech, discrimination, or slurs
- Impersonating teachers, admins, or other students
- Creating alt accounts to evade bans
- Attempting to exploit or hack the platform
Consequence: Immediate 7-day ban or permanent ban — 3 strikes
Escalation Ladder
Strikes accumulate over a rolling 90-day period. The moderation response escalates with each offence.
1
Warning
Written notice explaining the violation. No posting restrictions.
2
24h Mute
Temporary inability to post or reply for 24 hours.
3
7-Day Ban
Full forum access revoked for one week. Triggered at 3 strikes.
4
Permanent Ban
Permanent removal from the forum. Triggered at 5 strikes or any severe offence.
Strike System
- 1 strike — Warning issued. No further action.
- 2 strikes — 24-hour mute applied automatically.
- 3 strikes — 7-day ban from the forum.
- 4 strikes — 30-day ban from the forum.
- 5 strikes — Permanent ban. Account flagged.
Strikes expire after 90 days of clean behaviour. Severe offences may result in an immediate permanent ban regardless of strike count.
Reporting Process
How to Report
If you see a post or message that violates these rules:
- Click the report flag icon on the offending post.
- Select the reason for your report from the dropdown menu.
- Add an optional note with context if needed.
- Submit the report — it will be reviewed by a moderator within 24 hours.
All reports are anonymous. The reported user will not know who filed the report. False or malicious reporting is itself a moderate offence.
Teacher & Admin Moderation Powers
What Moderators Can Do
- Edit or delete any post that violates community guidelines.
- Issue warnings and apply strikes to student accounts.
- Mute users for a specified duration (1 hour to 30 days).
- Ban users temporarily or permanently from the forum.
- Pin or lock threads to highlight important announcements or close heated discussions.
- Review reports and take appropriate action.
- View moderation logs for transparency and accountability.
Teachers linked to a classroom automatically receive moderator status for their students' posts. Platform admins have full moderation access across all channels.
Appeals Process
How to Appeal a Punishment
If you believe a moderation decision was unfair, you can submit an appeal:
- Wait at least 24 hours after the punishment was issued before appealing.
- Send an appeal through the Settings > Support page, selecting "Moderation Appeal" as the category.
- Include your username, the date of the punishment, and a clear explanation of why you believe the decision should be reconsidered.
- Appeals are reviewed by a different moderator than the one who issued the original punishment.
- You will receive a response within 3 business days.
- Each punishment can only be appealed once. The appeal decision is final.
Final Note
These rules exist to keep Project 56 a safe and welcoming place to learn. The vast majority of students never receive a single strike. Be kind, be helpful, and focus on learning together.
These rules may be updated from time to time. Continued use of the forum constitutes acceptance of the current rules. Last updated: March 2026.