Send a direct message to staff or a family

A direct message is a private conversation with one person or a small group: a co-teacher, an admin, or a student's parent. It sits apart from your channels, so it stays between the people you add. Clear Day keeps one conversation per set of people, so you won't end up with two threads for the same family.

Start a new message

On the app

1. Open the Messages tab.
2. Tap Compose in the top right (the pencil icon) to open the New message screen.
3. In the search box, type a name to find a staff member or parent.
4. You can also type a student's name. Clear Day matches it to that child's family and shows the parent, labeled Parent of [child].
5. Tap a person to add them. A checkmark appears and their name shows as a chip up top.
6. Add as many people as you like for a group, or tap the x on a chip to drop someone.
7. Tap the button at the bottom. It reads Message [name] for one person, or Start group conversation with a count once you've picked several.
8. Type your first message and send it. That opens the conversation.

On the web

1. Open Messages.
2. Click New in the header above your conversation list.
3. In the To: field, start typing a name or role. The list filters as you type.
4. Click each person you want. They appear as purple chips in the To: field.
5. Type your message in the box at the bottom and click send.

How the Staff and Families lanes work

Staff and family conversations live in separate lanes. On the phone, the Staff and Families tabs at the top of the Messages screen switch between them. The web app keeps it all in one list, so there are no tabs to flip.

You don't pick the lane yourself. When you start a message, Clear Day reads who you added: if anyone on the thread is a parent, it lands in Families, otherwise it goes to Staff. Add the right people and the conversation sorts itself.

Parents only ever see the Families lane. They can't see or start staff conversations.

Finding an existing conversation

If you've messaged this exact set of people before, Clear Day reopens that conversation instead of starting a fresh one. Your message lands in the existing thread rather than spinning up a duplicate. Either way, your history with a family or a colleague stays in one place.

To reopen a conversation you already have, find it in your list. If it's not where you expect, see Browse conversations.

Messaging a whole group at once? Create a channel instead. Replying to a family? Clear Day can draft the reply for you to approve. Still stuck? Contact support.