Reopening cases

At a glance

Who uses it: Facilitators or admins whose closed case needs to resume.
When to use it: A previously closed concern recurs, an outcome didn't stick, or the case was closed prematurely.
Permissions required: Assigned facilitator (or original facilitator) or admin.
Navigation path: Cases → open the closed case → Status menu → any open status.

Purpose

Reopening lets you continue work on an existing case rather than spawning a duplicate. The original timeline, notes, interventions, and intake source are preserved.

When to reopen vs. start a new case

Reopen when:

The same concern recurs within a short window.
The previous outcome ("improvement") didn't hold.
The case was closed by mistake or as a duplicate that turned out not to be.

Start a new case when:

The concern is meaningfully different (new academic, new behavior).
The school year has rolled over and the team wants a fresh baseline.
The student transferred and is now back — the gap warrants a clean start.

Step-by-step

Find the case in Cases → Closed (or via search).
Open it.
Click the Status menu in the header and pick In Progress (or On Hold, Assigned, as appropriate).
Optionally add a note documenting why you reopened.
Set a follow-up date.

[SCREENSHOT: case-reopen-status] Cases → closed case with the Status menu open and In Progress hovered, ready to reopen.

What happens automatically

The status change is audit-logged with actor and timestamp.
The case returns to active dashboards and counts toward active caseload again.
The attached teacher is notified that the case is active again.
Original closure data (outcome, closure note) is preserved in the case timeline.

Tips & best practices

Add a note explaining the reopen — future reviewers benefit from the rationale.
Set a new follow-up immediately so the reopened case has a fresh next step.
If you reopen the same case more than twice, consider whether the underlying plan needs a redesign.

Common mistakes

Reopening a case that should be a new one — the previous case's reports will be skewed by mixing two distinct concerns.
Forgetting to set a follow-up after reopening — the case drifts again.

FAQ

Does reopening affect intervention-trend reports? Yes — the case rejoins the active set. Outcomes are not double-counted because the previous closure's outcome is overwritten when the case closes again.

Is there a limit on how many times a case can be reopened? No technical limit. Pattern of frequent reopens is worth reviewing as a team.