This guide covers the most common problems with encounters in August Schools. For an overview of the encounter workflow, see Nursing Encounters Overview.

An Encounter Has Disappeared or Gone Missing

An encounter I created can no longer be found

Navigate directly to the student's card and open the Encounters tab. All encounters for a student are listed there — use filters to search by date or encounter type.
Check whether you have a global filter applied that might be hiding the student's record. Clear filters and search by the student's name directly.
If the encounter genuinely cannot be found on the student's card or Encounters tab, contact August Schools support. Encounters cannot be permanently deleted by regular users — if one is missing, it may be a display or permissions issue.

Errors When Creating or Saving an Encounter

I'm getting a 503 error when trying to save or share an encounter

A 503 error typically indicates a temporary server issue. Wait a few minutes and try saving again.
Check your internet connection — a dropped connection during save can trigger this error.
Try refreshing the page and re-entering the encounter. Before refreshing, note any data you've entered so you can re-enter it if needed.
If the error persists across multiple attempts or affects multiple users, contact August Schools support — this may indicate a platform-level issue.

My encounter appears glitched or frozen

Try refreshing the page. Temporary UI glitches are often resolved by a page refresh.
Clear your browser cache and reload the page.
Try opening the encounter in a different browser.
If the encounter is stuck in an open state and cannot be closed or edited, contact August Schools support with the encounter ID or student name and date of the encounter.

I can't edit an encounter I already saved

Check the encounter's status. Encounters that have been marked as Closed or Locked prevent further editing. A Closed encounter may be reopened by the original encounter creator.
Confirm you have the appropriate role permissions to edit encounters. Some roles have view-only access to certain encounter types.

Encounter Template Issues

A template I normally use isn't appearing

Check whether the template has been deactivated. Navigate to Settings > Encounter Templates and confirm the template is active.
Confirm the template is assigned to your role. Encounter templates can be restricted to specific roles — if your role was recently changed, templates may need to be reassigned. A Sysadmin can update template role assignments in settings.
If the template is set up correctly but still doesn't appear when starting a new encounter, try clearing your browser cache and refreshing.

Sharing Encounters with Families or Faculty

I can't share an encounter through the portal

Confirm the student has a parent or guardian with a valid email address on file. Sharing requires a portal contact to send to.
Check with your Sysadmin that the instance settings are set to enable encounter sharing with family and faculty through the Portal
Check the encounter's status. An encounter must be in the Open status to share.

For a full walkthrough, see How to Share Encounters With Families and Faculty Through the Portal.

A parent says they didn't receive the shared encounter

Ask the parent to check their spam or junk folder for an email from notifications@[yourschool].augustschools.com.
Confirm the parent's email address on file is correct.
Verify the share was successfully sent — check the Alerts tab to confirm.

Encounter Status Questions

August Schools uses several encounter statuses — understanding them can resolve many apparent "missing encounter" issues.

Open: The encounter is in progress and has not been finalized.
Closed: The encounter has been finalized. Closed encounters may be locked from editing.
Locked: Locking the encounter will prevent any future edits or additions.
Archived: Archiving the encounter will exclude it from analytics and other reporting
No Show: Marking as no-show will close the encounter and record the party's failure to appear

For a full explanation of statuses, see Encounter and Note Status.