Overview
Group permissions allow you to:
Grant permissions to all members of a group at once
Automatically update permissions when users join or leave the group
Scope certain permissions by attribute (e.g., only see data for their school)
When a user belongs to a group with assigned permissions, they automatically inherit those permissions. If they are removed from the group, their permissions will be revoked.
How to Assign Permissions to a Group
Go to Directory > Groups
Click on a group name to edit it, or click Create Group to make a new one
Scroll to the Permissions section
Toggle on the permissions you want to grant to group members
Click Save
All members of the group will now have those permissions. If you add new members to the group later, they’ll automatically receive these permissions too. All permissions that can be assigned individually are also available at the group level.
Attribute-Scoped Permissions
Two permissions can be scoped by attribute, meaning group members only see data for users who share a specific attribute value (like the same school or department):
1. View Attendance
What it grants access to: Within Learning, users are able to see Attendance Records and Staff Member Attendance Table specifically for the individuals who share that attribute.
How scoping works: If you scope this permission to the “School” attribute, a principal at Lincoln Elementary will only see attendance records for staff members at Lincoln Elementary.
2. Approve Submitted Events
What it grants access to: Ability to approve and publish events that have been submitted for approval
How scoping works: If you scope this permission to the “School” attribute, a principal can only approve events submitted by staff at their school.
Important Considerations: Auto-Updated Groups
If your group membership is automatically updated based on attributes or other rules, be aware that:
Permissions are granted automatically when users are added to the group
Permissions are removed automatically when users leave the group
This is powerful but requires careful planning to ensure the right people have the right access.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Do I still need to assign individual permissions?
A: For most cases, group permissions are easier to manage. Individual permissions are still available for one-off situations where someone needs access that doesn’t fit a group pattern.
Q: What happens if I remove someone from a group?
A: They lose the permissions that came from that group. Any individual permissions they have remain.
Q: Can a user be in multiple groups with permissions?
A: Yes. Permissions from all groups are combined (additive). The user has access to everything granted by any of their groups.
Q: Why can’t I see the attribute permission options?
A: These options only appear when certain feature flags are enabled for your district. Contact your Customer Success Manager if you need access to attribute-scoped permissions.
Q: How do I know which permissions a specific user has?
A: View the user’s profile in the Directory. Their effective permissions come from both individual assignments and all groups they belong to.