Silent Dismissal

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====== Dismissal Display Time ======
Silent Dismissal offers multiple configuration options to determine when student names will be displayed in the classrooms.

A fundamental rule for Silent Dismissal is that staff should release students from the classroom when the name appears on the classroom screen. Staff should not be asked to make an assessment of the current time to determine when students are to be released. By adhering to a strict policy of release when displayed, not before and not after, the entirety of dismissal can be controlled in accordance with school policy.

In order to make this practice workable, staff may enter dismissal information at any time during the day with the knowledge that the information will not be displayed to the classroom staff until the appropriate time.

===== Basic Operation, Single Dismissal =====
If the entire school dismisses at the same time - not including the possible exception of a few groups or locations that may dismiss early - then the classroom display time is controlled from a single parameter. This parameter may be accessed by administrators from the menu TOOLS / SCHOOL SETTINGS, sub section //Time Settings// in the field //Dismissal Display//. 

Student names will be shown in the classroom chronologically after the //Dismissal Display// time has elapsed on the current day except for locations designated as //Immediate// or groups designated as //Immediate//; students called to those locations or for those groups will be displayed in the classrooms immediately.
===== Staggered Dismissal =====
If your school dismisses students at different times, Silent Dismissal may be configured to display student information at different times by classroom.

To set up the school for staggered dismissal, follow these steps:
  - Set the final release time
    - As an administrator, navigate on the menu to TOOLS / SCHOOL SETTINGS, sub section //Time Settings// then locate the field //Dismissal Display//
    - Set the //Dismissal Display// to the time of **latest** student release time
    - Click on //Save All Settings//
  - Set the display time for the classrooms that have an earlier student release time.  
    - As an administrator, navigate on the menu to ACCOUNTS / DISPLAYS
    - Review the //Early// column to ensure that each classroom that will be dismissed in the last group shows a value in this field of //Default//
      - The default value - the value from the //Dismissal Display// field - is set by defining the classroom display time as midnight, or 0:00.
    - Select all of the classrooms that will be set to the same earlier release time by placing a check mark adjacent to each classroom 
    - Scroll to the bottom of the page then set the display time in the input box in the lower left hand corner
    - Finally, click the //Update// button to set the //selected classroom display time//
    - Repeat this procedure for any additional early release times

==== Notes on Individual Classroom Display Times ====
  * Each classroom teacher may also set the display time for the classroom by navigating to TOOLS / CHANGE PROFILE, then setting the value in the //Display Time// field. Classroom staff must also enter their password prior to pressing //Save// to record the changes. Because classroom staff may unilaterally change the display time in their own classroom, it is suggested that administrative staff occasionally review the display time settings for all staff on this page.
  * Individual classroom display times may be adjusted by the administrator by navigating to ACCOUNTS / LIST, clicking on the last name of the classroom teacher, then editing the //Display Time// field and saving the record.

===== Early Dismissal =====
In some instances it may be necessary to dismiss students at a time earlier than the customary display time. For schools without a staggered display time this is a simple task; staggered display times are a bit more cumbersome.

**<color #ed1c24>There are no provisions for setting early display in advance for a specified date</color>**.

**<color #ed1c24>Automatic Group Calls by time will not be automatically performed until the defined time</color>**. On days with early release the general practice is to manually call all groups - i.e., buses, vans, clubs, etc. - by clicking on the group name as a dismissal staff user from either the //Desktop// view or the //Group Dismissal// view.

An alternate option is to set the automatic dismissal times for these groups to reflect the appropriate time for early dismissal, execute the dismissal for the day, then reset the dismissal time for the groups prior to the same day next week.

==== Single Dismissal Time ====
For schools with a single dismissal time, two options are available for early release.
=== Option 1: Manual by Dismissal Staff ===
The student name display in normally restricted until the time defined in the //School Settings// page. This may be overridden by a toggle on the menu for **Dismissal** staff. 

  - Change the page view from the current view to an alternate view to force the menu to fetch the current state of early dismissal from the server
  - If the display reads "Dismiss Early" then dismissal is set for the normal time
    - **Click the menu entry "Dismiss Early" to display the student names in the classrooms immediately**
  - If the display reads "Clear Early Dismissal" then the student names are already being shown in the classroom
    - Clicking the menu entry "Clear Early Dismissal" will revert the student name display to the global value set on the //School Settings// page.

== Notes about Early Dismissal ==
  * The early dismissal menu option is available only to dismissal staff
  * The early dismissal menu option is a toggle which only shows the current state when the page is refreshed by changing the view. If one or more persons are both attempting to set the dismissal display for early release it is quite likely that the persons will be erroneously setting or resetting early dismissal display
  * Early dismissal only allows names to be seen earlier than the default setting for either the entire school or the individual classroom; there is no mechanism to delay the name display beyond the time value set globally or individually for the classroom
  * The current state of the student name display may be seen by **Dismissal** staff from the //Desktop// view. On the //Desktop// view, at the top center of the page is a message that defines the current status of student name display based upon the global display setting or the early dismissal toggle; it does not represent individual classrooms that may have an early display time setting
    * When names are being displayed in the classroom, the message will read "Students Displayed In Classrooms"
    * Prior to the global display time and when early release has not been initiated the message will read "Students Hidden From Classrooms"
    * The early dismissal option may be used during the school day to call students from the classroom for an event. An excellent example is a parent / grandparent luncheon.
      * Click on "Dismiss Early"
      * Call students from the classroom as their lunch date arrives
      * After the luncheon
        * Click on the "Clear Early Dismissal" 
        * An administrator will need to navigate to TOOLS / RESET DISMISSALS to clear the existing dismissal information prior to actual student dismissal

=== Option 2: Set by Admin followed by Reset by Admin ===
Rather than rely on dismissal staff to monitor the current time to press the //Dismiss Early// menu option it is often more convenient for an administrator to change the default display time on the TOOLS / SCHOOL SETTINGS page in the morning on the day of early dismissal then on the following morning to subsequently change the default display time back to the original time. The relieves the dismissal staff from monitoring the current time to manually release students but does require the administrator to remember to reset the display time following dismissal and prior to the next day dismissal.

==== Staggered Dismissal Time ====
When early dismissal happens at a school with multiple dismissal times by classroom there are again the same two options listed above but with more required steps.

=== Option 1: Manual by Dismissal Staff ===
This operation may need to managed my an administrator inside the building using a dismissal account.

At the time of the earliest release period, using a dismissal staff account, click on TOOLS / DISMISS EARLY

After the first release period completes, using a dismissal staff account, click on TOOLS / RESET EARLY DISMISSAL to prepare for the next dismissal time.

Optionally, it may also be beneficial to invoke the TOOLS / RESET DISMISSALS function as the administrator to clear any dismissal entry information from the first dismissal that may affect the next dismissal. This operation is optional and in most cases will not be required as it is the same as during a normal release time.

=== Option 2: Admin Change Display Times ===
This option requires multiple steps:
  - Change the global TOOLS / SCHOOL SETTINGS => Time Settings => Dismissal Display to the last dismissal time for the day
  - Navigate to ACCOUNTS / DISPLAYS then set the display time for each group of classrooms to reflect the earlier dismissal time
  - Manually call the groups as required (or reset the group automatic display times)

Once dismissal has completed for the day and prior to the next dismissal
  - Change the global TOOLS / SCHOOLS SETTINGS => Time Settings => Dismissal Display back to original value
  - Navigate to ACCOUNTS / DISPLAYS then set the display time for each group of classrooms to reflect the normal dismissal time 
  - Reset the group automatic display time back to the original value if it was changed