Introducing Messages: Two-Way Communication
Subject now includes a built-in messaging inbox that allows teachers and administrators to communicate directly with students inside the platform. This feature provides an easy way to send individual or bulk messages to students, with every exchange automatically logged and tied to student enrollments, no more managing compliance through email or external tools.
How It Works
A message icon in the platform header shows an unread badge when new messages arrive. Clicking it opens a flyout panel with All and Unread tabs, a search bar, and your full message threads. Threads are marked as read when you open them.
Sending a Message
Single Message
To send a message to one student:
Open the messaging flyout from the header.
Click the Blue + button and select your recipient.
Enter a subject (we call this "About" to keep it simple).
Optionally, tie the message to a specific course which links it to that student's enrollment for compliance tracking.
Write your message and send.
You can also require the student to respond before they can continue in the platform by enabling the full-screen response option.
Bulk Send
To message multiple students at once:
Choose whether the message is tied to a course. If yes, you'll see that course's students filtered by section. If no, you'll see all of your enrollments.
Select your recipients - you can search, filter, and select all.
Write your message and choose whether to require a full-screen response.
Each student receives their own individual thread, bulk sends are not group chats. Every message is logged per student and per enrollment.
Searching and Filtering Your Inbox
Teachers and admins can search across message subjects, recipients, and body text. You can also filter by:
Participant
Date range
Course
Two-way compliant: filters for threads that meet the 3-message exchange requirement
Student Experience
Students receive an in-app notification and unread badge when they have a new message. They can open the thread and reply directly in the platform. Students can also search their own messages.
If your school has student-initiated messaging enabled, students can also start a new message to their section-attached teachers or administrators.
If you choose to require a response from a student, they will see a full screen popup with the sent message and will be required to respond before they can continue with their Subject work. If they are logging in, they'll have to respond before they can move on, and if they currently working in Subject the full screen blocker will stop them where they are and require the student to answer before continuing.
Two-Way Communication Compliance
Many states and districts require a documented two-way communication exchange between teachers and students during certain compliance windows. Subject defines a compliant exchange as a minimum of 3 messages on the same enrollment: teacher → student → teacher. The platform tracks this automatically without any manual logging required.
District administrators can access a two-way communication report with a date-range export. The export includes sender name, student identity, enrollment ID, timestamps, message and response content, and completion status per enrollment.
Teachers and admins only see their own threads. District administrators can access the full two-way communications report.
School Configuration
Messaging is configured at the school level by administrators. Schools can choose to:
Turn messaging on or off for their school
Allow or restrict students from initiating new messages (students can always reply when messaging is on)
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this a real-time chat app?
No. Messaging works like email threading. There are no typing indicators, real-time notifications, or group chats in this version.
Can a Teaching Assistant send messages on behalf of a teacher?
No. Each message is sent from the logged-in account. Teachers of Record must send their own messages so the audit trail accurately reflects their identity.
Do students in a bulk send see each other's threads?
No. Every recipient receives a separate, private thread.
Can one student reply satisfy compliance for multiple enrollments?
This depends on your district's requirements, but typically each enrollment requires its own 3-message exchange.
Can teachers message other teachers or administrators?
Not at this time. Messaging is between educators and their enrolled students.
Are file attachments supported?
Not in this release. Messages support text only.
Need Help?
If you have questions about Messages, contact us through the Live Chat widget or email us at [email protected].