---
title: Teacher messaging
category: teacher-portal
order: 6
lastUpdated: 2026-06-08
featureAvailability: GA
planRequirements: [Pro, District]
roles: [teacher]
navigationPath: Teacher Portal → Cases → (open a case) → Messages
relatedArticles: [cases/collaboration, teacher-portal/feedback, teacher-portal/notifications]
---

## At a glance

- **Who uses it:** Teachers attached to a case, talking with the case's facilitator.
- **When to use it:** Quick questions, scheduling, status checks — anything you'd otherwise text or email.
- **Permissions required:** Teacher attached to the case. Requires Pro or District plan.
- **Navigation path:** Teacher Portal → Cases → open a case → Messages tab.

## Purpose

Case messaging gives you a per-case conversation thread with the facilitator that's scoped, audit-logged, and visible to the right people — without bouncing into personal email.

## Who else sees the thread

- The case's assigned facilitator (always).
- Any co-facilitators.
- School administrators.

Parents do not see messages. For parent-bound content, ask the facilitator to add a parent-visible note instead.

## Step-by-step

1. Open the case from your portal.
2. Click the **Messages** tab.
3. Type your message. `@`-mention the facilitator (or another teacher on the case) to notify them directly.
4. **Send**. They get a notification (per their settings) and reply in the same thread.

[SCREENSHOT: teacher-messages-thread]
_Teacher Portal → case Messages tab showing a 3-message thread between a teacher and a facilitator._

## Tips & best practices

- Keep messages short — long updates belong in a feedback submission or a note (which the facilitator can post).
- Use messages for coordination, feedback for status, and referrals for new concerns.

## Common mistakes

- Posting confidential parent quotes verbatim — even though parents don't see messages, anything you write is part of the audit record.
- Treating messages as official documentation — the official record is case notes, posted by the facilitator.

## Related articles

- [Collaboration on cases](/help/cases/collaboration)
- [Teacher feedback](/help/teacher-portal/feedback)
- [Teacher notifications](/help/teacher-portal/notifications)

## FAQ

**Can I start a message thread without a case?**
No — messaging is always scoped to a specific case. If there's no case yet, [submit a referral](/help/teacher-portal/referrals).

**Are messages encrypted?**
Yes — like all AmplifyED data, in transit and at rest. See [Data encryption](/help/security/data-encryption).