> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://schoolmanagerp.gitbook.io/schoolmanagerp-docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://schoolmanagerp.gitbook.io/schoolmanagerp-docs/en/send-message/send-alert.md).
# Send an alert
Send a short notice that you write yourself to many people at once. It shows in the bar at the top of their app and in their notifications.
**Where to go:** in the left menu, **Communications → Send an alert**. Do the work on this page on a computer. **Before you start:** be an Admin or Academic coordinator ([who can do what](#roles)). A person gets the alert only if they have an account in the app.
An alert is not an SMS. To text one guardian, use [**Send a message**](/schoolmanagerp-docs/en/send-message.md).
[Send an alert](#task-main) · [Withdraw an alert](#task-withdraw) · [Problems and fixes](#trouble)
**On this page**
* [How to get to this page](#arrive)
* [Send an alert](#task-main)
* [How to know it was sent](#confirm)
* [Other situations](#other)
* [Choosing who gets it](#task-who)
* [Add a page to open](#task-link)
* [Withdraw an alert](#task-withdraw)
* [Problems and fixes](#trouble)
* [Who can do what](#roles)
* [Learn more](#more)
***
## How to get to this page
**From the menu:** in the left menu press **Communications**, then **Send an alert**.
**By search:** press the search button at the top and type "alert".
The page opens over the whole screen. **Cancel** or the close button takes you back to the page you came from. If you opened the link directly, it takes you to [**Send a message**](/schoolmanagerp-docs/en/send-message.md).
***
## Send an alert
1. Open **Communications → Send an alert**.
→ The **Send an alert** page opens with four parts: **What to send**, **Who gets it**, **How long to show it** and **How people will see it**.
2. Under **Type**, pick **Warning** (important; people can close it or be reminded later) or **Reminder** (just to let people know).
3. Write the **Title** (up to 140 letters) and the **Message** (up to 500 letters).
4. Under **Who gets it**, tick one or more groups and add names from the list ([Choosing who gets it](#task-who)).
→ A grey box shows the total, for example **48 people in total**, and **Someone in two groups gets it once.**
5. Under **Show until**, pick the last day. It is set to tomorrow at first. You can pick today up to 30 days from today.
6. Look at **How people will see it**. It is a copy of the bar with your title.
7. Press **Send** (or press Ctrl+Enter).
→ A message says **Sent to 48 people** and the page closes.
> **Remember:** **Send** stays grey until there is a title, a message and at least one person. The line above the list says what is still missing, such as **Write a title first.**
***
## How to know it was sent
Open **Send an alert** again. The **Sent alerts** list at the bottom shows your alert at the top with the status **Active**. The **Seen** column shows how many people have seen it out of how many got it, such as **12 / 48**.
| Status | What it means |
| ------------- | -------------------------------------------------- |
| **Active** | It is in people's bars now. |
| **Expired** | The **Until** day is over. It has left the bar. |
| **Withdrawn** | Someone pressed **Withdraw**. It has left the bar. |
***
## Other situations
### Choosing who gets it
Tick a group, then pick from its list. Each pick shows as a chip; press a chip to remove it.
| Group | Who gets it |
| ------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **By role** | Everyone in the school with that role, such as **Teacher** or **Parent**. |
| **Students of sections** | Students of the chosen sections who are currently enrolled and have an account. |
| **Guardians of sections** | Guardians of those students who have an account. |
| **Named people** | The staff members you pick by name. |
You can use several groups together. If nobody matches, the box says **Nobody matches these groups.** and you cannot send.
### Add a page to open
**Page to open (optional)** lets people tap the alert and go straight to a page.
* If only staff get it, the list shows staff pages that every chosen role can open.
* If only parents and students get it, the list shows portal pages, such as **Fees and invoices**.
* If you mix staff with parents or students, the list is off: **A link only works when everyone uses the same app.**
### Withdraw an alert
1. In **Sent alerts**, find a row with the status **Active**.
2. Press **Withdraw**.
→ A box asks **Withdraw this alert?** and says from how many bars it will disappear.
3. Press **Withdraw** again.
→ **Alert withdrawn**. The status becomes **Withdrawn**. It cannot be sent again; write a new one if needed.
***
## Problems and fixes
| What you see | What to do | Who can help |
| ---------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------ |
| **Nobody matches these groups.** | The chosen people have no account, or the section has no enrolled students. Pick another group. | Admin |
| **Daily limit of 20 alerts reached. Try again tomorrow.** | A school can send 20 alerts in any 24 hours. Withdrawn ones count too. Wait. | — |
| **Too many tries. Wait a minute and try again.** | Wait one minute, then press **Send** again. | — |
| **Pick an end date between today and 30 days from today.** | Change **Show until**. | — |
| **Could not refresh the count, so it may be out of date.** | The number may be old. Wait a moment; it updates when you change a group. | — |
| A guardian says they did not get it | They need an account in the app. An alert is not sent by SMS. | Admin |
| No **Urgent** type | **Urgent alerts can't be sent by hand. They come from the school's rules.** | — |
***
## Who can do what
| Role | Can send and withdraw | Sees **Sent alerts** |
| -------------------- | --------------------- | -------------------- |
| Admin | Yes | Yes |
| Academic coordinator | Yes | Yes |
For other roles, **Send an alert** is not in the left menu. They only receive alerts, on [**Seeing and settling alerts**](/schoolmanagerp-docs/en/dashboard/alerts.md) (staff) or [**Alerts and notifications (parent and student)**](/schoolmanagerp-docs/en/overview/notifications.md).
***
## Learn more Parts of the page
1. **What to send**: **Type**, **Title**, **Message**, **Page to open (optional)**.
2. **Who gets it**: the four groups and the count box.
3. **How long to show it**: **Show until**.
4. **How people will see it**: a copy of the bar.
5. **Sent alerts**: **Title**, **Type**, **Sent**, **Until**, **Seen**, **Status** and **Withdraw**.
How an alert travels
The path of one alert
* **Who is counted:** only people whose account is active in this school. A student or guardian with no account is left out.
* **Until when:** the alert leaves the bar at the end of the **Show until** day, school time.
* **Limit:** 20 alerts per school in any 24 hours.
**Related pages**
* [**Send a message**](/schoolmanagerp-docs/en/send-message.md) — an SMS, WhatsApp or email to one guardian.
* [**Alerts report**](/schoolmanagerp-docs/en/collections-report/alerts-report.md) — how many alerts the school's rules raised each month.
* [**Seeing and settling alerts**](/schoolmanagerp-docs/en/dashboard/alerts.md) — where staff see the alert you sent.
* [**Alerts and notifications (parent and student)**](/schoolmanagerp-docs/en/overview/notifications.md) — where parents and students see it.
***
*Version 0.1.0 · Last verified 2026-10-25*
