Communications

The communications module enables schools to create, distribute, and track official circulars and announcements sent to parents, teachers, and other school community members.

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Overview

Circular broadcasts in Athena ERP provide:

• Document distribution - Send PDF circulars to specific audiences
• Targeted audiences - Send to all families, specific grade levels, or individual teachers
• Delivery tracking - See who received and opened circulars
• Status management - Draft, schedule, or send immediately
• Secure delivery - Documents stored securely with access controls
• Read receipts - Track when recipients open circulars

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Creating a Circular

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Basic Process

1. Navigate to Communications → Circulars
2. Click Create Circular
3. Fill in circular details:
   • Title - Brief, descriptive title
   • PDF file - Upload the circular document (max 25MB)
   • Audience type - Who should receive this (see below)
   • Status - Draft or send immediately
   • Channel - Delivery method (app, email, or both)
4. If targeting specific teachers, select recipients
5. Optionally schedule for later delivery
6. Click Create

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Audience Targeting

Choose who receives your circular:

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Circular Status Workflow

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Delivery Channels

Choose how circulars are delivered:

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Viewing Circulars

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For Administrators

Staff with write:communications permission see all circulars:

1. Navigate to Communications → Circulars
2. View list of all circulars (drafts, scheduled, and sent)
3. Filter by status
4. Click any circular to view details

Circular details show:

• Title and file name
• Creation date and author
• Audience type and size
• Status and send date
• Delivery statistics (sent count, opened count)
• PDF preview/download

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For Recipients (Teachers)

Teachers with read:communications permission see circulars sent to them:

1. Navigate to Communications → Circulars
2. See only sent circulars where:
   • Audience is not teacher-specific (e.g., all families), OR
   • They are specifically included as a recipient
3. Click to view circular
4. System automatically marks as “opened” on first view

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Tracking Delivery and Engagement

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Recipient List

For sent circulars:

1. Open circular details
2. Click View Recipients
3. See list of all recipients with:
   • Name
   • User ID
   • Delivery timestamp
   • Opened timestamp (if applicable)
   • Channel used

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Delivery Statistics

Circular overview shows:

• Recipient count - Total number of recipients
• Opened count - How many have viewed the circular
• Open rate - Percentage opened
• Delivery date - When sent

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Viewing Circular Content

Recipients can view the PDF directly:

1. Click circular title
2. Click View Document
3. Choose:
   • View inline - Opens PDF in browser
   • Download - Saves PDF to device

Security measures:

• Content-Security-Policy prevents embedded scripts
• X-Content-Type-Options prevents MIME sniffing
• No-store cache control prevents unauthorized caching
• Authenticated requests only

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Marking Circulars as Opened

For in-app delivery, system automatically tracks opens:

1. Recipient clicks circular
2. System checks if this is first view
3. If yes:
   • Records opened timestamp
   • Increments opened count on circular
4. Sender can see updated statistics

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Scheduling Circulars

Schedule circulars for future delivery:

1. When creating circular, select status “scheduled”
2. Enter scheduled send date/time
3. Click Create
4. System will automatically send at specified time

Use cases for scheduling:

• Send announcements at optimal times (early morning, end of school day)
• Prepare multiple circulars in advance
• Coordinate with event dates
• Time announcements for specific time zones

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Best Practices

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Common Circular Types

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Permission Slips

• Target specific grade levels attending event
• Include clear deadline for responses
• Provide contact information for questions
• Track opens to follow up with non-responders

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Policy Updates

• Send to all families or specific audiences
• Include effective date prominently
• Explain rationale for changes
• Provide FAQ or contact for questions

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Event Announcements

• Target appropriate audience (all, grade-level, class group)
• Include date, time, location clearly
• Add RSVP or registration instructions
• Send reminder circular closer to event

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Staff Communications

• Use “specific_teachers” audience
• Include meeting agendas, minutes, or policy updates
• Track opens to ensure all staff are informed
• Follow up with unopened recipients

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Permissions

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File Requirements

PDF specifications:

• Format: PDF only
• Max size: 25 MB
• Validation: System checks for valid PDF magic bytes
• Security: Files scanned and validated before upload

Recommended PDF practices:

• Use standard fonts (embedded or system fonts)
• Optimize file size for mobile viewing
• Ensure text is selectable (not scanned images)
• Test on mobile devices before sending

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Privacy and Security

Communications are protected through:

• Authentication required - Only logged-in users access circulars
• Audience enforcement - Recipients only see circulars sent to them
• Secure storage - Files stored in encrypted cloud storage
• Access logs - System tracks all circular access
• Audit trails - Complete record of who sent what to whom

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Troubleshooting

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Low Open Rates

• Check if recipients have active app accounts
• Consider email channel for better reach
• Send at different times of day
• Use more descriptive titles

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Recipients Not Seeing Circular

• Verify recipient is in target audience
• Check circular status is “sent” not “draft”
• Confirm recipient has correct permissions
• For teacher targeting, verify they’re in recipient list

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PDF Not Displaying

• Ensure file is valid PDF format
• Check file size under 25MB
• Try re-uploading the document
• Test on different devices/browsers

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Related Features

• Student Management - Guardian contact information used for delivery
• Enrollment Management - Determines which families are “active”
• User Management - Manage staff permissions for communications