Pickup spots and transport options are the first two steps of setting up Dismissals. A transport option is one named way of getting home, such as Front circle pickup or Late bus.
Step 1: Add your pickup spots
Go to Admin Console → Locations and add each pickup spot by name (for example Front circle, Science wing, Library). These are ordinary Orah locations. Dismissals doesn't keep a separate list.
Step 2: Create transport options
Go to Dismissal Settings → Transport Options and click Add transport options (or Add Transport Option if you don't have any yet). Each transport option is one way of getting home.
Transport Mode & Dismissal Location
Choose Car, Bus, Walk or Bike, then the location it leaves from. The mode is just an icon and a label. It doesn't decide whether a QR code is needed.
Dismissal Method
This is the setting that really shapes the day:
Picked up: an adult collects the student. Staff confirm the adult is there (by scanning their QR code, or the parent taps I have arrived), then mark the student dismissed. Use this for car lines and carpools.
Self Dismissal: the student leaves on their own (walking or cycling). There's no QR code. Staff mark them dismissed as they go.
School managed transport: the school handles the handover, usually a bus. There's no parent QR code, and the bus driver doesn't need Orah.
Transport Option Name
Must be unique within your school. Examples: Front circle pickup, Science wing car, Late bus. If you leave it blank, Orah names it for you, for example Car at Front circle.
Starting Status
Decides which column students jump to the moment someone taps Activate Dismissal:
Awaiting transport: they stay put. This is best for Picked up, so students wait until their adult is actually there.
Ready for release: they move straight to Ready for Release.
Released from class: they move straight to Released from Class.
Available to
All students, or only Specific students in certain SIS groups or tags. Students outside those groups won't see this option in the Family App, though staff can still assign it to them. This is handy for schools with more than one campus.
Who can select this option
Staff and Parents: parents can pick it in the Family App.
Staff only: parents can't choose it as a new option. They'll only see it once staff have put their child on it, and after that they can pick it again for other days. This is useful for buses if you don't want families switching their child onto a bus themselves.
Note: You can't delete a transport option while it's still in use by a schedule, a student's weekly plan, or a dismissal that hasn't started yet. Move those students to another option first.