Invite parents into the class
Each parent gets an invitation by email, at their own address, for their own child. The parent creates no password: they receive a sign-in link. On their first visit they fill in their child's consent form. That form decides whether you can share photos, videos or sound with them.
Invitations have their own page, "Parent invitations". You open it from "My account", section "Parents". That section and that page are for the class owner only. A collaborator who opens the page is taken back to "My account".
Send the invitation
- Open "My account", then "Parents", and tap "Parent invitations".
- Tap "Invite a parent". A window opens on "Which child?", with the students of the class.
- Search for the child by name or scroll the list, then tap the child.
- The window becomes "Invite a parent of", followed by the child's name. Type the "Parent email".
- Tap "Send".
If you tapped the wrong child, "Change child" goes back to the list. "Cancel" closes the window without sending anything. If the window shows "No students" while the class has students, the list did not load. Close the window and reload the page.
When the send goes through, the window closes and the page confirms with "Invitation sent to {email}", where the parent's address replaces {email}. The link stays valid for 7 days. For a second parent, tap "Invite a parent" again and type the other address. Each parent gets their own invitation.
An "Invite a parent" link also shows in "Messages", when you pick, in "New conversation", a child who has no linked parent yet. It leads to this page.
Follow, resend or withdraw an invitation
Invitations appear on the same page, under "Invitations sent". Each row shows the address, the child, the date it was sent or accepted, and a status:
- "Pending": the parent has not opened the link yet.
- "Accepted": the parent has joined the class. The row has no more buttons.
- "Expired": the 7 days have passed. The link no longer works.
Until you have sent anything, the list reads "No invitations sent yet." If the list does not load, the page shows "The invitations could not be loaded. Try again later." Reload the page a little later.
Tap "Resend" to send a new link to the same address. The old link stops working at that moment, and the row switches to "Resent". There is no duplicate: it is the same invitation, with a new date.
Tap the X ("Withdraw invitation") to cancel an invitation that went to the wrong address. Every unaccepted invitation for that child and that address disappears together.
What the parent sees next
Opening the link, the parent sees "Add your child", the name of the class and their child's first name. Under the first name, the page reads "Enter the email address the invitation was sent to, to continue." The parent types their address and taps "Get the sign-in link". The page confirms with "A sign-in link was sent to {email}." and "Open the email and click the link to continue." The link brings them back to the same page, and the child is added to their account. No password is created.
If the parent is already signed in on that device, there is no email to wait for: the page shows "Adding your child..." and moves straight on to the consent form. At the bottom of the page, "Not your child?" is followed by "Contact the teacher."
From then on, the parent picks "Parent" on the sign-in page and gets a new link by email, on a computer, a tablet or a phone.
Before seeing anything of the class, the parent goes through the "Consent form". The page is titled "Consent", with the child's first name and the class name under it. A first card names the class: "Consent required for class: {classroom}", where the name of your class replaces {classroom}. The form follows, in three numbered sections.
- "Capture authorizations". Three cards: "Photos", "Videos", "Audio recordings". The parent taps the whole card to allow it. A chosen card takes a dark border and a ticked box. All three cards start unticked.
- "Legal information". Three panels that unfold: "Privacy policy", already open, then "Data usage" and "Your rights".
- "Required confirmations". Three boxes to tick. The first holds the link "privacy policy", which opens in a new tab so the form is not lost.
The parent taps "Save my choices". If one of the three boxes of section 3 is still unticked, LinoClass refuses with "Please confirm all the boxes below to continue." and saves nothing.
If all three cards are still unticked when they submit, LinoClass tells them so with "No permission is ticked" and the child's first name. The button becomes "Yes, I decline everything"; a second tap saves the refusal. The link "Back to the permissions" scrolls back up to the three cards. A full refusal is valid: you will only be able to share drawings with them.
When the save goes through, the page shows "Consent saved" and "Thank you! Your choices have been saved.", then moves on by itself to the class news. If the page shows "Something went wrong while saving your consent. Please try again.", nothing is saved and the parent's choices are still in the form. They tap "Save my choices" again.
The parent can change their answer at any time. Under their "Settings", the row "Parental permissions" reopens the form and shows their current answer. They tap "Update my choices" to save.
A parent whose answer allows nothing sees a notice once, at sign-in: "Nothing can be shared with you". They pick "Review my permissions" or "That is what I meant". After that choice LinoClass does not ask again, and you cannot trigger the notice yourself.
See what each parent has allowed
- Open "My account", then "Parents".
- Tap "Parental permissions".
The page lists each student with their answer: "Photos allowed" or "Photos declined", "Videos allowed" or "Videos declined", "Sound allowed" or "Sound declined", and the date of the answer. At the top, a count says how many students cannot be photographed. When everything is open, the page reads "Every parent who answered allows photos."
When a child has two parents, one row covers both. A refusal wins: if one parent declines photos, the row reads "Photos declined", even if the other parent allows them.
A student with no answer carries one of three notes:
- "This parent has not answered yet": the parent came into the app but did not fill in the form. They will see it on their next sign-in.
- "This parent has never signed in": the parent is linked to the child but has never signed in. Tap "Resend the invitation" to send them the email again. The page confirms with "Invitation resent."
- "No parent linked": no invitation has been accepted for this child. Send one with "Invite a parent", on the "Parent invitations" page.
Under a parent who declined photos, you may read "This parent saw the notice and kept their choice." That parent was told and decided. There is nothing to resend: if you want to talk it over, do it in person.
What a refusal changes in "Quick capture"
In "Quick capture", under "For which students?", a child whose parent declined the chosen type is greyed out, with a small crossed-out badge on their picture. A line under the row explains: "Greyed out: the parent has not allowed this type of content for that child." The child cannot be selected for that type. Switch type, and they can be tapped again if their parent allows it.
If you pick the child first, then tap a type their parent declined, the camera or the recorder does not open. Instead, a notice reads "{name}'s parent has not allowed this type of content. Pick another type, or check the consent report.", with the child's first name. The tiles stay under it: tap another one.
With several students selected, the capture still goes ahead for those who have permission. The notice then reads "Not saved for: {name} (permission refused).", and the photo does not enter that child's portfolio.
When a capture is blocked by a permission, the message takes you straight to this page with "See the permissions". See Add work to a portfolio.
When a parent withdraws a permission
A parent can later untick a permission they had given, under their "Settings", row "Parental permissions". The withdrawal also covers what was already shared. As soon as they tap "Update my choices", that child's photos, videos or sounds leave the class feed for parents. They no longer count as unread, and their files no longer open on the parents' side.
Only the withdrawn type goes away. A parent who withdraws photos keeps the videos and sounds they still allow. The child's drawings stay visible.
As with capture, one parent's refusal is enough. If one of the two parents withdraws photos, they also disappear for the other parent.
Nothing is deleted. On your side, the items stay in the child's portfolio, and your choice to share them with parents is kept. If the parent ticks the permission again, they come back for parents, with nothing to redo.
A parent asks you where their child's photos went? Open your "Parental permissions" page. If the child's row reads "Photos declined", one of the parents withdrew their permission. Only that parent can give it back, from their "Settings".
Unblock a parent
"This invitation link has expired."
Resend the invitation from "Invitations sent". The parent then sees: "This invitation link has expired. Ask the teacher to send you a new one."
"This invitation link has already been used. If you have already joined LinoClass, sign in. Otherwise, ask the teacher for a new link."
The parent has already joined the class. Many parents reopen the invitation email to get back into the app. Under the message, the "Sign in" button leads to the sign-in page: the parent picks "Parent", types their email and gets a new link.
If the parent is already signed in on that device, the link does not show this message. It opens their child's page directly.
Another parent who opens that same link sees the same message, without the child's name. For a second parent, send an invitation to their own address.
The parent is signed in with a different address
The invitation is tied to one specific address. If the parent is using another account, LinoClass tells them: "You are signed in as {email}. This invitation was sent to a different address." The address shown is the one on their account, never the invited address. The page adds "Sign in with the address that received the invitation, or ask the teacher for an invitation to your address." and the "Switch account" button. That button signs them out and brings them back to the link: they then type the invited address. Otherwise, they ask you for an invitation to the address they normally use.
This happens when another parent stayed signed in on the device, or when the parent is using another of their addresses.
"Your session has expired. Please log in again."
The parent reads this line at the top of the sign-in page. Their session ended while they were using the app, and LinoClass brought them back to sign in. They pick "Parent", type their email and get a new link. You may see the same line on your side, with the same fix.
The parent receives nothing
The link arrives by email. Have them check the junk folder, then confirm the address letter by letter before resending.
An address typed with capitals works. LinoClass treats Parent@example.com and
parent@example.com as one and the same address.
"The invitation could not be resent. Try again."
The send did not go through. Wait a moment and tap "Resend" again. If the message comes back, withdraw the invitation and send a new one with "Invite a parent".
The invitation does not go out
The email did not leave. An error message shows in the window, under the "Parent email" field, and the window stays open with the address. Check the address letter by letter. If it is right, wait a moment and tap "Send" again.
An incomplete address is refused before sending, with "This email address looks incomplete. Check that it ends with a domain, for example .com or .ca." Correct it, then tap "Send".
Frequently asked questions
Can two parents follow the same child?
Yes. Send an invitation to each address. Each parent fills in their own consent form, and a refusal from one applies to both.
Does a parent see the other children in the class?
No. A parent sees their own child.
Does the parent have to install an app?
No, but it is simpler with it. A parent can open their email link in any browser, with nothing to install. If they have the free LinoClass app for iPhone, iPad or Android, the same link opens straight into the app, on their child's page. See Install LinoClass on your phone or tablet.
A parent declined everything by mistake. What now?
Tell them to open their "Settings", then "Parental permissions". They tick what they allow and tap "Update my choices". Your "Parental permissions" page updates the next time you open it. Their child's photos, videos and sounds that were already shared come back for parents.
What if the parent has no email address?
Write to us at support@linoclass.ca. We will look at the situation with you.