Overview
When a staff member is given final approval rights on a student leave or pass request, the approval button they see is not a simple "Accept." Instead, Orah presents specific options based on the timing of the pass — its start and end time relative to the current moment in the school's timezone. This ensures staff are always making an informed decision about when the leave actually activates.
It's also important to note that there are two stages in the approval flow:
Endorse — shown to staff who are part of an earlier endorsement stage only
Approve / Final Approve — shown to staff who have final approval rights
This article covers the Final Approve stage only.
The Options Explained
1. Final Approve & Activate Now
Shown when the pass is in final approval and either:
The start time is in the future (any end time), or
The start time has already passed but the end time is still in the future
Choosing this immediately activates the leave from the current moment, regardless of the originally scheduled start time.
2. Final Approve & Schedule
Shown when the requested start time is still in the future, specifically:
Future start + future end, or
Future start + no end time (on a non-recurring pass)
This is the recommended option when you want to approve the leave and have it activate automatically at the scheduled start time without any further action needed.
3. Final Approve & Activate at Scheduled Start Time
Shown when the start time is already in the past but the end time is still in the future.
This backdates the activation to the original scheduled start time, useful when a pass was approved slightly late.
4. Final Approve & Create Retroactive Pass
Shown when the pass effectively belongs in the past:
Both start and end times have already passed, or
The start is in the past and there is no end time (on a non-recurring pass)
If the pass type is recurring or auto-ending and both times are in the past, this becomes the only available option.
Special Case: Past Start + Past End (Non-Recurring, Not Auto-Ending)
If both the start and end are in the past and the pass is non-recurring and not auto-ending, staff will first see a more generic "Final Approve & Activate" path, and are then given a secondary choice of whether to activate from now or from the scheduled start time.
Quick Reference Table
Pass Timing | Options Shown |
Future start + future end | Final Approve & Activate Now / Final Approve & Schedule |
Future start + no end (non-recurring) | Final Approve & Activate Now / Final Approve & Schedule |
Past start + future end | Final Approve & Activate at Scheduled Start Time / Final Approve & Activate Now |
Past start + past end (non-recurring, not auto-ending) | Final Approve & Activate (then choose from now or scheduled start) |
Past start + past end (recurring or auto-ending) | Final Approve & Create Retroactive Pass only |
Past start + no end (non-recurring) | Final Approve & Create Retroactive Pass only |
Still unsure? If the options you're seeing don't match the above, please contact our support team at support@orah.com with a screenshot and the start/end time of the pass in question.