Overview
Every concern Sentinel detects that clears the noise threshold appears in the Alerts inbox. This article walks through how to open an alert, read the case file, take ownership, coordinate in the comment thread, and close the alert properly.
Opening an Alert
Navigate to the Alerts section in the portal. The inbox lists all alerts for your school, sorted by severity and recency. Each row shows:
- The alert tier (1, 2, or 3)
- The concern category (for example, "self-harm concern," "bullying," "grooming concern")
- The current status: new, acknowledged, or resolved
- When it was created
Click any row to open the full alert detail.
Reading the Case File
At the top of an alert detail page is the case file, assembled by the AI for high-severity signals. The case file is written in plain language and organized into sections:
- Summary — A brief overview of what was detected and why it warranted an alert
- Timeline snippets — Key moments from the signal history placed in order, without including raw message text
- Risk factors — Relevant patterns or context that elevated the concern
- Counselor guidance — Specific suggestions for how to approach the situation
- Conversation starters — Suggested language you can use when talking with the student or family
- Recommended actions — Concrete next steps based on the concern category and severity
The case file contains no raw student messages. It is a counselor-oriented summary of what the AI found, designed to help you take action without reviewing original content.
For Tier 1 alerts, the case file may be shorter or summarized differently, as full THEO case assembly is reserved for severity 3 and 4 signals.
Acknowledging an Alert
Acknowledging an alert signals to the rest of your team that someone has taken ownership. It changes the status from "new" to "acknowledged."
To acknowledge: open the alert and click the Acknowledge button. Only counselors and school admins have this permission.
You can acknowledge immediately after reviewing, or review the full case file and comment thread first. Acknowledging early prevents duplicate effort by other counselors who might otherwise start working the same alert.
Adding Comments
The comment thread below the case file is where your team coordinates. You can:
- Post a status update for other staff
- Ask a clarifying question
- Record what actions you took
- Communicate with a consented parent who is watching the alert
Internal comments: When posting a comment, check the "Internal" option to mark it as an internal note. Internal comments are visible to school staff and MSP staff, but are hidden from parents. Use this for clinical observations, case coordination, or notes you wouldn't share outside the school's professional team.
Parent-visible comments: By default, comments are not marked internal and parents with access to the alert can read them. Be thoughtful about what you write in non-internal comments.
Resolving an Alert
When the situation has been addressed — the student was checked on, parents were contacted, an intervention was made, or you determined the concern has passed — mark the alert as resolved.
To resolve: click Resolve. You can add optional resolution notes describing what happened and what was done. These notes are part of the compliance record.
Status moves from "acknowledged" (or "new") to "resolved."
Marking a False Positive
If you review an alert and conclude the AI got it wrong — the content was a classroom assignment, a song lyric, siblings joking around, or something clearly not concerning — mark it as False Positive.
To do this: click Mark as False Positive and optionally enter a short reason. This does two things: it closes the alert and it sends feedback to the AI training pipeline so the system can improve over time.
Do not mark an alert as false positive out of convenience. Use it genuinely when you are confident the detection was incorrect.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between acknowledging and resolving?
Acknowledging means "someone is working on this." Resolving means "this is handled." The intended flow is new → acknowledged → resolved, but you can go directly to resolved if appropriate.
Can I delete an alert?
No. Alerts are part of the compliance and audit record. You can resolve them or mark them as false positive, but not delete them.
Can I edit a comment I posted?
You can delete your own comments within five minutes of posting them. After that, only school admins or the MSP can moderate comments. THEO's replies are never editable or deletable.
Who can see internal comments?
School staff (counselors, admins, staff members) and MSP staff. Parents never see internal comments, even if they are authorized on the alert.
Can staff members resolve alerts?
Staff members have read-only access to alerts and can post comments, but they cannot acknowledge, resolve, or mark false positives. Those actions require the counselor or school admin role.