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A Leave Application records an approved absence. When a student knows they will miss class - for a medical appointment, a family event, or a personal reason - they (or their instructor) can submit a Leave Application. When it is approved, the system automatically updates the attendance records for those dates from “Absent” to “On Leave.”

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Who Does This

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How Leave Applications Work

The key thing to understand is that submitting a leave application does not automatically update attendance. The application must be approved for attendance to change. This prevents students from excusing absences without authorisation.

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How to Submit a Leave Application

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As an Instructor or Administrator (on behalf of a student)

  1. Go to Education workspace → Attendance card → Student Leave Application
  2. Click New
  3. Select the Student
  4. Set the From Date and To Date of the absence
  5. Write a brief reason in the Reason field
  6. Set Status to “Open” (pending review)
  7. Click Save

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As a Student (via the Portal)

Students with portal access can submit leave applications through the student portal. The application is then visible to instructors and administrators for review.
Student Leave Application form showing student name, from date, to date, reason text area, and status dropdown

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Field Guide - Student Leave Application

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How to Review and Approve Leave Applications

  1. Go to Education workspace → Attendance card → Student Leave Application
  2. Filter by Status = Open to see all pending applications
  3. Open each application and review the details
  4. Change the Status to Approved or Rejected
  5. Click Save
When a leave application is Approved, the system automatically updates the Student Attendance records for those dates - changing the status from “Absent” to “On Leave.”

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What Happens to Attendance When Leave Is Approved

The system looks for Student Attendance records for the student on each date in the leave period:
  • If an attendance record already exists (marked Absent) → it is updated to On Leave
  • If no attendance record exists for those dates → no change is made (the instructor must still take attendance; the leave applies when attendance is subsequently taken)
This means:
  • For planned future leave, take attendance normally when the class happens - if the leave is already approved, the system will mark the student “On Leave” instead of “Absent”
  • For retroactive leave (student was marked Absent, then submitted a leave application) - approving the application updates existing Absent records to On Leave

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Best Practices

Approve leave before the class session where possible. If leave is approved in advance, the attendance tool will mark the student “On Leave” automatically when attendance is taken - no retroactive correction needed. Set a policy for how far in advance leave must be submitted. Without a policy, students may submit leave applications days after being absent. Communicate to students (and through the student portal) how far in advance they must apply. Keep Reason notes brief but meaningful. “Medical” or “Family event” is sufficient. The reason helps reviewers make a quick decision and provides context for welfare follow-up if the absences become a pattern.

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Troubleshooting

Attendance is not updating to “On Leave” after approval: Check that attendance records already exist for the dates in question. The update only applies to existing attendance records. If attendance has not yet been taken for those dates, ask the instructor to take attendance after approving the leave. Cannot find a student’s leave application: Filter the Leave Application list by Student name. Applications are not automatically visible on the student record - they must be found from the Leave Application list. Status shows “Open” but student says it was submitted: “Open” means the application has been submitted and is waiting for review. It has not been approved yet. Change the Status to “Approved” when the decision is made.