---
title: Case notes
category: cases
order: 4
lastUpdated: 2026-06-08
featureAvailability: GA
roles: [facilitator, admin]
navigationPath: Cases → (open a case) → Notes
serverFunctions: [addCaseNote, addCaseNotesBulk]
viewRoles: [admin, facilitator, attached-teacher (if teacher_visible), parent (if parent_visible)]
editRoles: [author, admin]
auditActions: [note_added]
auditRetention: 7 years
relatedArticles: [cases/creating-cases, cases/follow-ups, ai/ai-drafts, teacher-portal/feedback]
---

## At a glance

- **Who uses it:** Facilitators and administrators documenting case activity.
- **When to use it:** Every time something happens on a case — a meeting, a plan change, a parent contact, an observation.
- **Permissions required:** Facilitator on the case, or admin.
- **Navigation path:** Cases → open a case → Notes.

## Purpose

Notes are the chronological record of every coaching action on a case. They power the case timeline, the FERPA student record export, intervention-trend reporting, and the audit log.

## Note visibility

Every note has a visibility level set when you save it:

- **Internal** — facilitators and admins only. The default.
- **Teacher-visible** — also shown to the attached teacher in the Teacher Portal.
- **Parent-visible** — included in the parent-facing dossier export. Used sparingly, for plan summaries and outcome statements.

You can change visibility on your own notes after the fact. Admins can change visibility on any note. Every change is audit-logged.

[SCREENSHOT: case-notes-visibility-toggle]
_Cases → case Notes tab, with the visibility selector open showing Internal / Teacher-visible / Parent-visible._

## Step-by-step

### Add a note

1. Open the case. Click the **Notes** tab.
2. Click **Add note**.
3. Pick a template (free text, SOAP, check-in, plan update) or start blank.
4. Set **Visibility**.
5. Click **Save**. The note appears at the top of the timeline.

### Use an AI draft

If your plan includes AI:

1. Click **AI draft**.
2. Enter a short bullet outline.
3. Review and edit the draft. AI output is never saved as a note until you accept it.

See [AI drafts](/help/ai/ai-drafts) for details.

### Bulk add notes

When working a caseload, use **Cases → Bulk actions → Add note** to apply the same internal note (for example, "Reviewed during weekly MTSS meeting") to multiple cases at once.

## Tips & best practices

- Write notes the same day — recall accuracy drops fast.
- Use templates for repeating activities (weekly check-ins, parent calls) so reports stay clean.
- Mark notes that summarize parent communication as **Teacher-visible** so the classroom teacher stays informed.

## Common mistakes

- Pasting PII from external systems into an internal note — once saved, it is in the FERPA record.
- Defaulting to **Parent-visible** for everything — keep parent-visible notes high-signal.

## Related articles

- [Creating a case](/help/cases/creating-cases)
- [Follow-ups](/help/cases/follow-ups)
- [AI drafts](/help/ai/ai-drafts)
- [Teacher feedback](/help/teacher-portal/feedback)

## FAQ

**Can I delete a note?**
Notes can be redacted (body cleared) but the record of the note's existence is retained for audit. Only administrators can redact.

**Do teachers get notified when I add a teacher-visible note?**
Yes — they receive an in-app notification and, depending on their digest settings, an email summary.