Documents

_In the app: `/documents`_

Your family file cabinet for everything you need to keep on file for compliance and school records. Upload IEPs, 504 plans, immunization records, teaching credentials, lesson plans, evaluations, custody papers, birth certificates, or anything else — organize by student, document type, and mark expiration dates so you never miss a renewal.

How to

Upload a document

Go to Documents in the left sidebar.
Click the '+ Upload a document' button.
Select the document type from the dropdown (IEP, 504 Plan, Teaching credential, Lesson plan, Annual evaluation, Immunization records, Custody / legal, Birth certificate, or Other).
If the document type requires a student (IEP, 504 Plan, Annual evaluation, Immunization records, Birth certificate), select the student from the Student dropdown. If it requires a parent (Teaching credential), select the parent from the Parent dropdown. For other types, Student is optional — you can leave it as 'Family-level (no student)' or assign it to a specific student.
Enter a title for the document (required).
Optionally, add a description to provide context.
Optionally, set an Effective date and/or Expiration date using the date pickers.
Optionally, enter an Issuing body (e.g., the school district name, testing organization, or issuing authority).
Optionally, add tags separated by commas (e.g., 'annual, math, sped') for easier searching and organizing.
Click the file input button and select an image (JPG, PNG, GIF, WebP, HEIC, HEIF) or PDF. Max file size is 25 MB.
Wait for the file to upload — you'll see the filename and file size, and a status showing 'uploading…' then 'uploaded'.
Once uploaded, click 'Save document' to save it to your family file cabinet.

Find a specific document

Go to Documents.
Use the filters at the top of the page: Type dropdown to filter by document type (IEP, 504 Plan, Teaching credential, etc.), and Student dropdown to filter by which student the document belongs to (or 'All students' to see all).
Click 'Update' to apply the filters.
Documents are displayed with the most recently uploaded first, then alphabetically by title.

Open and view a document

Go to Documents.
Find the document in the list.
Click the 'Open' button to view the file in a new tab.

Delete a document

Go to Documents.
Find the document you want to delete.
Click the 'Delete' button on the right side of the document row.
A 'Confirm' button will appear. Click it to confirm deletion.
The document is immediately removed from your file cabinet and the file storage.

Check for expiring documents

Go to Documents.
Look for documents with a red 'Expiring soon' badge — these are documents set to expire within the next 30 days.
The expiration date is displayed under the document title (e.g., 'Expires June 15, 2026'). Renew or replace the document before that date.

Organize documents with tags

When uploading a document, add tags in the 'Tags' field, separated by commas (e.g., 'annual, math, sped').
Tags are stored with the document and searchable in future updates. Note: The current UI does not have a built-in search by tags yet, but tags are available for future filtering and compliance tracking features.

Options & settings

Document type — dropdown selecting from IEP, 504 Plan, Teaching credential, Lesson plan, Annual evaluation, Immunization records, Custody / legal, Birth certificate, or Other
Student assignment — required for IEP, 504 Plan, Annual evaluation, Immunization records, and Birth certificate; optional for all others
Parent assignment — required for Teaching credential
Title — text field (required, max 240 characters)
Description — text area (optional, max 2000 characters)
Effective date — date picker (optional)
Expiration date — date picker (optional; documents with expiration within 30 days are marked 'Expiring soon')
Issuing body — text field (optional, max 240 characters; e.g., 'TUSD', 'BYU Online')
Tags — comma-separated text (optional, max 500 characters; e.g., 'annual, math, sped')
File — file input (required; only images JPG/PNG/GIF/WebP/HEIC/HEIF or PDF, max 25 MB)
Type filter — dropdown to view only documents of a specific type
Student filter — dropdown to view only documents for a specific student or all students

Common questions

What file types can I upload?

You can upload images (JPG, PNG, GIF, WebP, HEIC, HEIF) or PDFs only. Maximum file size is 25 MB per document. If you try to upload a Word doc, Excel file, or other format, you'll get an error message — convert it to PDF first in your operating system or a free tool.

Do I have to assign a document to a student?

It depends on the document type. IEPs, 504 Plans, Annual evaluations, Immunization records, and Birth certificates must be assigned to a student. Teaching credentials must be assigned to a parent. For Lesson plans, Custody/legal documents, and Other, you can leave it as 'Family-level (no student)' or optionally assign it to a student.

What does 'Issuing body' mean?

The Issuing body is the name of the organization or authority that issued the document — for example, your school district (TUSD, FUSD), a testing company, a clinic, or a state agency. It's optional but helpful for keeping records clear, especially for things like immunization records or teaching credentials.

What happens if I don't set an expiration date?

If you don't set an expiration date, the document will just show 'Uploaded [date]' instead. No 'Expiring soon' warning will appear. If the document has an Effective date but no Expiration date, it will show 'Effective [date]' instead. Set an Expiration date if you need to track renewal deadlines.

Can I edit a document after I upload it?

No — you cannot edit an uploaded document's title, dates, description, or student assignment. If you need to make changes, delete the document and upload a new one with the corrected information.

Are my documents private?

Yes. Your family's documents are stored securely in your family's file cabinet. Only you and anyone with access to your ArborSlate family account can view them. The file is uploaded to secure storage and download links expire after one hour for security.

Good to know

Only images and PDFs are accepted — if you have a Word doc or Excel file, convert it to PDF first or the upload will fail.
Some document types (IEP, 504 Plan, Annual evaluation, Immunization records, Birth certificate) require a student to be selected; others (Teaching credential) require a parent. If you try to upload one without selecting the required person, you'll get an error.
Once uploaded, a document cannot be edited — you must delete and re-upload if you need to change the title, dates, description, or student assignment.
The 'Expiring soon' badge only appears for documents with an expiration date set within the next 30 days. If you don't set an expiration date, no reminder will show up.
Deleting a document removes it permanently — there is no undo or trash bin. The confirmation step (click 'Delete', then 'Confirm') is your safety net.
If your family document has no student or parent assignment, it shows as 'Family-level (no student)' in the list — this is normal for things like custody papers or family-wide policies.

Plans

Documents feature is available to all active accounts (trial and paid family plans). No plan-specific gating. Trial families can use Documents during their 14-day evaluation window the same as paid families.