Understand Approvals, Limits, and Rules

GoGuardian Hall Pass evaluates every pass request against a set of policy checks before allowing a student to leave. Understanding how those checks work helps administrators configure policies accurately and helps staff respond to blocked passes with confidence. This article covers:

• How passes enter the Waiting for Approval state
• The blockers that prevent a pass from activating
• How approvals and overrides work
• Pass limits and how enforcement rules interact

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Understand How Passes Move from Request to Active

When a student requests a pass, Hall Pass runs all configured policy checks in sequence. The outcome depends on what those checks find:

• No blockers, no approvals required: the pass moves directly to Active
• 1 or more blockers or approval requirements: the pass enters Waiting for Approval

A pass in Waiting for Approval is not canceled. It remains open until a staff member approves it, an override is applied, or the conditions blocking it clear (for example, capacity frees up or a cooldown window expires).

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Review Pass Statuses

Expired is a visibility signal. The student is overdue, but depending on your workflow, staff may still need to end the pass manually. A pass in Waiting for Approval can become active later (after an approval is granted, capacity frees up, or a cooldown resets).

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Understand Blockers

When a pass enters Waiting for Approval, 1 or more of the following conditions caused it.

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Understand Approval Requirements

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Review Capacity Blockers

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Identify Student Limit Blockers

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Check Out-Together Rule Blockers

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Identify Time Restriction Blockers

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Review How Approvals Work

A staff member can move a pass forward in 2 ways: Provide a required approval: If a pass is in Waiting for Approval because origin or destination approval is required, a staff member with the appropriate role can approve it. Approving removes that specific blocker. If other blockers remain, the pass stays in Waiting for Approval. Apply an override: Overrides let staff approve a pass even when a policy would otherwise block it. Hall Pass includes the following override labels:

• Capacity Override
• Origin Approved
• Destination Approved
• Out-together Rule Override
• Site Capacity Override
• Student Pass Limit Override
• Minimum Time Between Passes Override
• Time Restriction Override

Override permissions are configured by administrators. Keep override access limited and define when overrides are appropriate, for example, emergencies or documented exceptions.

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Check How Scheduled Passes Are Enforced

Scheduling a pass creates it immediately but delays activation until the start time. Enforcement checks re-evaluate at activation time:

• A pass can schedule successfully and still fail to activate if approvals haven’t been granted or if conditions like capacity or pass limits are not met at the scheduled start time.

Train staff that scheduled means “queued,” not “guaranteed.”

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Configure Pass Limits

Pass limits cap how many passes a student can take within a given interval:

• Per Day: resets at midnight (or at a configured time)
• Per Week: resets at the start of the school week

Limits can be set at the site level (applying to all students) or scoped to specific groups using Group Rules. Group Rules take precedence over site defaults for students they cover.

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See How Multiple Rules Interact

Multiple enforcement rules can apply to the same student at the same time. When they do:

• All active blockers are listed on the pass
• Each blocker must be resolved (approved, overridden, or cleared naturally) before the pass activates
• Resolving 1 blocker does not clear others

A pass in Waiting for Approval with both a capacity block and a pass limit block requires both conditions to clear before it becomes active.

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Avoid Common Pitfalls

“Why did it schedule but not activate?” Scheduled passes are still subject to enforcement at activation time. Open the pass and check the blocker reason. Capacity settings can unintentionally limit movement. If site or destination capacity is set too low, expect many passes in Waiting for Approval at peak periods. Start conservatively and adjust based on reporting. Combining cooldowns with low pass limits can feel restrictive. A long minimum time between passes combined with a low daily or weekly limit can result in frequent blocks. Validate these settings against your real bell schedule. Out-together rules need clear naming and staff communication. If staff don’t understand why a student is in Waiting for Approval, they’ll assume the system is broken. Name rules for the policy and communicate which students are covered. Multi-site users. Staff or students associated with multiple sites must be in the correct site context to view and act on passes for that building. If someone can’t find a pass, verify they’re in the right site.