MACS User Guide

MACS stands for Mobile Absence Clearance System — the parent-facing side of SchoolRiver's APX platform. The system has been designed to work natively with Aeries SIS. Instead of paper notes, phone calls, and trips to the attendance office, parents and guardians clear absences and request early leave from a phone or computer, and the school's attendance staff review and approve those requests digitally.

Every request follows the same path: authenticate, receive a secure link by phone or email, then submit either an absence clearance or an early leave request.

1. 1Log inParent or guardian
2. 2Select contactParent or guardian
3. 3Choose deliveryParent or guardian
4. 4Secure link sentMACS
5. 5Open the messageParent or guardian
6. 6Student profileParent or guardian
7. 7Choose a pathParent or guardian
8. 8Submit & confirmAttendance office

Step 1 of 8

Log in

Open MACS in a supported browser, choose English or Spanish, enter the Student ID, and select the birth month, day, and year. A missing or invalid value displays an error until it is corrected.

Login status

Verifying Student ID

Secure link

Not sent yet

Request

Not started

PreviousNext step

To log in to the MACS system, you must first enter your Student ID and birthdate. After you authenticate successfully, select a contact method to receive a secure link. This link will allow you to safely access the system and complete the logging in process.

Steps

1. 1Open the system in a supported web browser.
2. 2Choose English or Spanish.
3. 3Enter the Student ID.
4. 4Select the birth month, day, and year.
5. 5Select Login.

The user must then select a contact and receive the secure link.

Steps

• •Review the list of parent, guardian, or other available contacts.
• •Select the contact name.
• •Select Next.
• •Review the masked phone number and email address options. The system hides part of each value for privacy.
• •Select the phone number or email address where the automated link should be sent.
• •Select Submit.

Once you have reviewed the list of available contacts, select the contact method you would like to use to receive the secure link. Verify that the selected email address or phone number is correct, then click Submit. Check your email or text messages for the link and open it to securely complete the logging in process.

After you select the delivery method, MACS sends a secure login link to the chosen email address. Open the inbox for that address and locate the message from the MACS system. If the message is not visible, check the spam or junk folder. Open the message and select the secure login link to continue. Use the link as soon as possible because it may expire.

After logging in, the student profile displays the student name, grade, and profile image when available. If no student image is available, the system displays the school avatar or default image.

Available actions

• •Select Clear Absence Form to review absences and submit reasons.
• •Select Early Leave Form to request an early departure for a future date or later the same day.
• •Use the Back on form pages to return to the previous area when available.
• •Select Log out to end the session.

Absence clearance lets the user review absences and submit a reason for one or more periods on a date. The system groups periods by absence date so the user can review each date as a single record.

Steps

• •Open Absence Clearance from the student profile or secure link page.
• •Review the Pending Teacher Absence Confirmation section, if it appears.
• •Review the dates and periods shown in the pending clearance section.
• •Open an absence record to view its date and periods.
• •Choose one reason for the selected absence record.
• •Use Clear Selection if the reason needs to be removed before submission.
• •Repeat the selection for any additional absence records that should be submitted together.
• •Select Submit. At least one absence record must have a reason.
• •Review the confirmation message. The attendance team is notified that the request is being processed.
• •Select Submit Another Request to continue, or use Log out to end the session.

Early leave requests are handled by ELS — SchoolRiver's Early Leave System, the extension that replaces the manual early dismissal process. Instead of unannounced parent arrivals, paper sign-out slips, and classroom interruptions, parents submit and verify an early pickup online, staff approve it with a few clicks, and the release is written directly into Aeries SIS with an accurate time stamp.

The Early Leave form creates a request for a student to leave early on a selected date. The available periods are loaded from the student schedule for that date.

Steps

• •Open Early Leave from the student profile or secure link page.
• •Select the requested leave date. The date picker starts from today and does not allow dates before today.
• •Wait for the system to load the schedule for the selected date.
• •Select every period during which the student will be absent. Multiple periods can be selected.
• •Select one reason. Only one reason can be selected for the request.
• •Enter optional comments, up to the character limit shown on the form.
• •Enter an optional alternate phone number. If entered, it must be a valid phone number.
• •Select the required release time.
• •Select Submit.

The system uses loading indicators, validation messages, confirmation messages, and error messages to show what is happening. Staff should use the message shown on screen as the first troubleshooting clue.

Common messages and recommended responses