Exits and entries 4 min read Updated October 2026
Exit approvals: what has to be documented
A student’s exit is the moment responsibility passes between people: from the institution to a parent, an escort or the student, and back. If the record is partial, the question “who approved this?” comes up exactly when there’s no time to answer it. This guide sets out what must be recorded at every stage, from the request to the return.
1. Who may approve, and on what basis
For every type of exit it should be clear who may approve it. When permission comes from the role and not from whoever is available, no exit gets stuck and none is approved by someone who shouldn’t.
| Type of exit | Example of who approves |
|---|
| Routine home visit | The responsible counselor, based on the parent’s request or a standing consent. |
| Medical exit | The counselor, in coordination with the medical staff. |
| Exit with an outside body | According to the institution’s procedure, sometimes at a higher level. |
| Unusual or urgent exit | The person in charge of the shift, recorded as an exception. |
The table is an example. The exact split is set in your procedure; what matters is that it’s written down and everyone knows it.
2. What goes in the student file
An exit approval is a document. When every detail is kept in one place, nobody has to reconstruct an exit from a month ago from memory.
In every approval
- Who the student is, and the type of exit.
- Departure time and planned return time.
- Where, and with whom. Name and phone of whoever picks up or escorts.
- Who requested, and who approved and when.
- The source of the parent’s or guardian’s permission: a signed request or a standing consent.
3. What the guard sees at the gate
The guard doesn’t need to read the whole file. They need to see enough to approve an exit with confidence, and no more. Anything beyond that slows the gate and harms the student’s privacy.
- The student’s name and photo.
- A valid approval, and the return time.
- Who is supposed to pick up or escort, so they can check it’s really that person.
- With no valid approval: the student doesn’t leave, and the guard refers to the counselor. The guard doesn’t decide in the counselor’s place.
4. The return: closing the loop
An exit with no record of the return is half an event. The entry time, who received the student and anything reported on return are what turn the exit into a closed record.
01Record entry at the gateAt the time the student actually came in, not the planned time.
02Update attendanceThe student moves from “out on approval” to “present”, so the counselor on shift sees they’re back.
03A note if neededSomething from the exit the staff should know: came back ill, came back upset, forgot medication.
04LateIf the student didn’t return on time, start the late-return procedure rather than waiting for the night count.
5. Exceptions
Exceptions happen: approval by phone, pickup by someone not on the list, an urgent exit. The rule is that an exception is recorded as an exception, with who approved it, when and why. An exception recorded like a regular exit is what creates the gaps found later.
Recording an unusual exit
Template to copyWhat’s unusual: the grandmother is picking up instead of the mother, who wasn’t available.
How it was approved: a call with the mother at 15:20, who approved verbally. Counselor: Noam.
Verification: the guard checked the grandmother’s ID against the details the mother gave.
Follow-up: the mother will send written approval by this evening. The counselor checks.
Common mistakes
- Verbal approval with no record.
- An exit with no planned return time.
- A guard who lets a student out without approval because “the parent is already here”.
- A return that isn’t recorded, so the student stays “out” in the system.
- An exception recorded as a regular exit.
Want to see an exit approval from the parent’s request, through the counselor’s approval, to the gate, with the loop closed on return? We’ll show you in one session.
