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Automated Absence Messages

Set up a daily automated message to go out to families of students who are absent so families can respond directly to your message

Updated this week

For: Any District- or School-level users with correct Attendance permissions

Platform: Web


✅ What does the Automated Message feature do?

You can create and set an automated message that will be sent to absent students each day at a time you select.

This helps:

  • Save time spent manually messaging families

  • Make sure absences don’t go unnoticed

  • Encourage two-way communication to reduce unexcused absences


🚧 Keep in mind:

  • One message per school per day can be scheduled

  • You can’t edit the recipient list manually

  • Your message can be scheduled on the half hour

  • Messages are sent from the school’s shared Attendance Inbox

  • Automated Absence Messages start the next school day after enabling (not immediately)


✉️ How to Set Up the Automated Message

  1. On the Attendance page, select the "Automated messages" tab

  2. Select the recipient group:

    • Ex: Choose “Unexcused absences without a reason”

    • You can use the corresponding views on the Attendance dashboard tab to see who will receive the message each day

  3. Choose your send time (in 30-minute blocks)

  4. Add your message content

    • Keep it simple and informative

    • Use shortcuts like [studentFirstName] and [totalAbsenceCount] to automatically personalize the message for each family

  5. These messages will automatically be sent from the Attendance Inbox

    1. Responses to any automated absence messages are routed directly to the Attendance Inbox

  6. Click Enable

    • Your first message will send the next school day that attendance data is available

📌 Example: You enable the message at 8:00 AM on July 1, scheduled to send at 10:00 AM. The first message will go out on July 2 at 10:00 AM.

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