Table of Contents
Pick Up ID Entry
When a pick up ID is entered, there are multiple possible results from the entry. The results are presented at three different notification levels:
- Green - no potential errors identified, proceed to next pick up ID entry
- Yellow - possible error
- Red - definite error
More severe outcomes override less severe. For example if several students assigned to a pick up ID are summoned without a conflict but one student assigned to the pick up ID warrants a yellow alert, the return will be colored yellow. Similarly, if one student is designated as red then designations of yellow or green are overridden by a red alert.
Red alert messages generate an on screen pop up message to alert the staff of a significant problem but this may disabled by location. For example, presume that a school has a holding area for parents to move to when the students do not arrive in a timely manner; let's call the location “Holding Area.” Navigate to Groups / Location then click on the location name. On the Location edit screen set the Suppress Alert setting to Suppress Pop Up Alert.
The results of the last pick up ID entered may be seen by pressing on the colored alert message at the top of the screen. The ensuing pop up will display every student associated to the pick up ID and for those not being notified why they should not be expected to arrive at the pick up location.
New Location Calls
Detailed Color Designator Reasons
Red
A red alert is a major alert that occurs when any of the following conditions are met:
- No students are dismissed when the number is entered
- Pick Up ID not assigned to any student
- All students with entered Pick Up ID are designated not participating on the current day
- All students have a group assignment for the current day and Group Priority is enabled
- Associated students have an override to an alternate dismissal method other than pick up
- One or more students assigned to the pick up ID have already been processed for dismissal as a member of a group: Departed, Marked, or Loaded
- One or more students assigned to the pick up ID have already been processed for pick up with a status of Loaded or Cleared
These alerts are marked red because at least one student associated with the entered pick up ID will not receive the dismissal information
Yellow
A yellow alert is a less severe condition wherein the normal call → depart → mark (optional) → load process has not been followed for one or more students. Yellow alerts a generated for the following conditions, provided that none of the red alert conditions have been met.
- All students associated to the pick up ID have already been called for pick up on the current day; i.e., no new student dismissals processed for the entered pick up ID
- At least one student, but not all students, associated to the pick up ID will not be called on the current day for one of the following reasons
- designated as either absent or having left early on the current day, e.g., student not participating
- assigned to an alternate pick up ID for the current day, i.e., student is going home with a different family
- has an override to a dismissal group
- is assigned to a group for the current day and Group Priority is enabled
Yellow alerts indicate that at least a portion of the students assigned to the pick up ID will not be arriving in the pick up area; conversely, if none of the students assigned to the pick up ID will arriving then a red alert will be generated.
Depending upon which features of Silent Dismissal are used at your school, some entries designated as yellow may be as severe as those designated in red. Presume for this example that the school is not using the Depart, Mark, Load features of Silent Dismissal. In this example one person arrives at the school, displays the pick up ID, and the children leave campus with that person. Now presume that another family member arrives in the pick up line 15 minutes behind the first person with the same pick up ID. When the same number is entered again the response will be in yellow because no new dismissals occurred. In this case, however, the actual condition warrants a red alarm because no children will be coming out of the school for that pick up ID as they have already left the campus.
It is imperative that each school understands their own dismissal configuration so as to respond appropriately for yellow alerts.
Green
The result will display in Green if none of the conditions are met to classify the dismissal as either Yellow or Red. This is equivalent to all of the students assigned to the group being notified with at least one member of the group being notified for the first time on the current day.
No Students Assigned
At the most basic level, the first evaluation is whether the ID is assigned to one or more students or is not assigned to any student. If no students are assigned to a pick up ID, then it follows that no students will be notified.
This always results in a red error message
Students Assigned
Presuming that the ID is assigned to at least one student, the current state for that student will be one of the following. The applicability of the pick up ID to the student for the current day is evaluated in this order.
Will Be Not Called
Not Participating
A student who is not participating has been marked as absent from school or has been marked as already having left the school. Students designated as not participating will not notified in the classroom for dismissal.
When at least one student assigned to a pick up ID is determined to be not participating, a yellow level alert is generated.
Alternate Pick Up ID
when a student is assigned to an alternate pick up ID for the current day and the normal ID is entered, this will generate a yellow alarm. This may not be an error if the parent is picking up other children on that day.
Group Override
If a student has been explicitly designated to participate in a group on the current day via an override, the student will not be called when the corresponding pick up ID is entered. This will generate a yellow alarm.
Group Assignment
This evaluation is applied only when the school has enabled group assignment to take precedence over pick up ID entry. The option may be set by the administrator by going to TOOLS / SCHOOL SETTINGS then selecting the section titled Pick Up Number Entry and finally by setting the Group Priority option to YES and saving the school settings.
If group priority is set for the school and a student is assigned to a group for the current day of the week then that student will not be called for pick up. This is analogous to setting a group override for the current day but it persists each week and an explicit override to pick up is required.
If a student is not called for pick up when the ID is entered due to being assigned to a group for the current day and the school enabling the setting for group priority, then a yellow alert will be generated.
Group Departure
If a school does not have Group Priority enabled, it is possible for a student to be called for a group and for pick up on the same day.
If a student has been called for a group for dismissal and one or more of the following have occurred:
- Depart button for the group has been pressed in the classroom
- Marked button for a group load has been pressed by a dismissal staff member for a group
- Loaded button for a group load has been pressed by a dismissal staff member for a group
When any of the above actions have been taken and a student is called for pick up, it is assured that the student will not receive the pick up notification in the classroom as the student has already left the classroom.
This condition results in a red error message as the information entered in the pick up area will not be properly communicated to the student.
If a student has only been called for a group but has not been marked in any of the above listed ways as engaging the group on the current day only a yellow warning will be generated.
Cleared or Loaded
The entry of a pick up ID may not be the initial entry of that ID on the current day. It may be entered on subsequent occasions in an attempt to more strenuously alert a student who has not yet arrived at the pick up location or may be entered when another family member arrives for pick up due to a miscommunication within the family.
If a pick up number is entered following the initial entry and the current status of the student is that the student has indicated Clear in the classroom this is an indication that the student will not be coming to the pick up area. This will generate a red alarm.
If a pick up number is entered following the initial entry and the current status of the student is that the student has already been Loaded for pick up this indicates that the student is no longer at the school and will generate a red alarm.
No Students Called
If every student assigned to a pick up ID matches one of the above listed conditions then reasonably no students will appear at the pick up location. When every students assigned to a pick up ID matches one of the above criteria - no students called - a red alert will be displayed.
Will Be Called
If none of the above conditions apply to a student associated to a pick up ID then the student will be notified in the classroom. Even at this stage, however, the student may be in one of a number of different states, the first two of which apply to pick up ID entry performed after the initial entry.
Departed
A student may have been slow to leave the classroom when called initially but has now marked Depart and is in transit to the pick up area. This will generate a yellow alert. This condition, however, should be monitored closely as the student may have been distracted en route.
Not Departed
A student may have already been called for pick up but has not designated that he or she has left the classroom. This may be an indication that the student has not noticed the pick up notification. This will generate a yellow alert so that dismissal staff can inform the parent that the student has already been notified.
New (Not Called)
This is the state which a student who will be called for pick up on a given day should have
- in the classroom
- participating for the day
- not yet called for pick up
- no override or overridden to the pick up ID entered
- not assigned to a group for the day.
Students in this state will be notified in the classroom and will generate no error, e.g., a green notification response
Summary
From an operational perspective there should be no change at the schools; only better, more timely information for dismissal staff.
For example, students who had departed a classroom for a group were previously unable to see the notification for pick up but this wasn't always readily apparent to dismissal staff. Similarly, when a pick up number did not summon any students the on screen message notified that no students were called but this message was sometimes overlooked during the rush to enter subsequent pick up IDs; now the message is popped up on the screen so that it cannot be missed.