Direct messages
Direct messages are private conversations. Who may start one with whom is decided by your organization’s policy, not by the people involved.
Who may message whom
Section titled “Who may message whom”Four pairs, each set independently in Org settings → Community → Direct messages:
| Pair | Typical setting |
|---|---|
| Staff ↔ staff | Allowed |
| Staff ↔ learner | Depends on the organization; often archived |
| Guardian ↔ staff | Allowed where a communications relationship exists |
| Learner ↔ learner | Off for schools — permanently. A setting elsewhere |
Each pair can be Blocked, Allowed, Allowed and archived, or Allowed, archived and visible to guardians.
Two lines are not configurable, deliberately:
- Learner ↔ learner is locked off for K‑12 organizations. Not defaulted off — locked at the database, so it can’t be switched on by anybody.
- Guardian ↔ their own child messaging does not exist on this platform. A school platform mediating a conversation between a parent and their own child is surveillance, not a feature. The settings page says so where you’d expect the option.
Start a conversation
Section titled “Start a conversation”New message, then search for somebody:
Search for someone at your school. You can only message people your school’s settings allow.
The list is already filtered to people you’re permitted to reach. Where your policy leaves you with nobody, it says so plainly rather than showing an empty search: “Your school’s messaging settings do not allow you to start a conversation with anyone right now.”
A guardian starting a conversation with staff is asked which child it’s about, so the thread carries its context.
What gets kept, and who can read it
Section titled “What gets kept, and who can read it”This is the part to be clear about with everybody involved, because the answer is visible in the conversation itself.
| Setting | What the participants see |
|---|---|
| Allowed | Nothing extra. An ordinary private conversation. |
| Allowed, archived | “This conversation is kept by your school.” |
| Allowed, archived, visible to guardians | “This conversation is kept by the school and can be read by this student’s guardians.” |
Nobody is ever archived or exposed to a guardian without being told, in the conversation, while they’re writing in it.
Guardians reading staff↔child threads is read-only. A guardian sees:
You can read conversations the school keeps between staff and your child. To speak to a teacher yourself, start your own conversation with them.
Messages can be checked before delivery
Section titled “Messages can be checked before delivery”Where your organization screens messages, the composer says so — “Messages are checked before they are delivered.” — and a held message tells its sender:
Your message is with a moderator and has not been delivered yet.
The sender is never left thinking a message arrived when it didn’t.
Mute a conversation
Section titled “Mute a conversation”Notifications on a thread: for 1 hour, 8 hours, 1 week, or until I turn them back on.
Muting silences notifications for this conversation. Messages still arrive and you can still read them.
Reference
Section titled “Reference”| Thing | Behaviour |
|---|---|
| Who you can reach | Filtered by policy before you search |
| Learner ↔ learner in K‑12 | Locked off; not configurable |
| Guardian ↔ their own child | Does not exist on the platform |
| Archiving | Disclosed inside the conversation |
| Guardian visibility | Disclosed inside the conversation; read-only for the guardian |
| Held messages | The sender is told it hasn’t been delivered |
| Muting | Silences notifications only — messages still arrive |
| Guardian threads | Ask which child the conversation is about |
Troubleshooting
Section titled “Troubleshooting”Nobody comes up when I search. Your organization’s policy doesn’t permit you to start a conversation with anybody right now. The empty state says so rather than looking broken.
A learner can’t message another learner. For a school that’s permanent. For other kinds of organization it’s a setting.
My message says it’s with a moderator. Messages are screened before delivery here. It’ll arrive once reviewed.
A guardian says they can read my conversation with a learner. That pair is set to guardian-visible. The notice is shown in the conversation to everyone in it; change the setting if that’s not what you intended.
I muted a thread and still got messages. Muting stops notifications, not delivery.
I can read a thread but not reply. You’re reading it as a guardian, or the thread is read-only for you. Start your own conversation instead.