Service Hours Online Tool FAQ

These are some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). Click on a question to be taken down to the answer, or simply scroll down the page to read all the questions and answers.

User Account / Login Management

What do I need to start using this Service Hours Online tool?

Please refer to the “Getting Started” item in the left-hand menu.

How many user logins / accounts can we have in our family?

Each family can have up to 3 user accounts linked to their household (as identified by the oldest NC student in the household). We prefer that each worker has their own account (e.g. separate accounts for mother and father). That simplifies the sign-up process and makes it clear exactly which worker is signed up and what is their email/phone contact information. However, it is also okay to have a joint account for mother/father in the same house.

What is meant by Max Users per Household?

For security reasons, we ask you to indicate the maximum number of user accounts that will be linked to your household (for the purposes of crediting your family’s records for the service hours tuition option).

If you intend only a single joint account in your household, choose “1” as the maximum.
If the mother and father will each have their own login into the system (the preferred option), then choose “2“.
A third person can also have a user login linked to your account if required.

We ask you to specify your intended maximum as a security measure, to guard against other users being able to link into your account and see your hours worked.

How can we add another account in our family?

First log into your account and use the “Update My Profile” menu item to check your settings for “Max Users Allowed“. As needed, you can update this to allow for an additional account. (Don’t make this any higher than needed, for security reasons.) Then the other person can create a new account and choose the appropriate student in your household, to get linked to your household. Note that you will receive an email whenever a new account is added and linked to your household. Also, you can use the “View My Hours & Sign-Ups” to see all the users linked to your household.
Back to top

I lost my password. What should I do?

Click on the “Login” link and you’ll find a “Forgot your Password?” link near the bottom. Click that link and follow the directions for resetting your password. (Note that the school office cannot tell you your password, since it gets encrypted before being stored in the database.) Once you answer the security questions correctly, a new temporary password will be emailed to the address in your account. You can use that temporary password to log in, at which time you’ll be asked to provide a password of your choosing.

I can’t remember my User ID. What should I do?

Contact the school office (see the “Contact Us for Support” menu item). They can retrieve your User ID for you.
Back to top

My contact information has changed. How do I update my profile?

Use the “Update My Profile” menu item to update any of the fields in your profile.
Back to top

How does the school associate the hours with our family’s tuition account?

The school uses the oldest NC student in your household to track the total service hours associated with your family’s tuition account. If you have multiple user logins in your household, the “View My Hours & Sign-Ups” menu item will include a total of service hours associated with your family’s tuition account, for all users in your household.
Back to top

Can I delete my user account?

The “Update My Profile” menu item can be used to request to delete your account. If you have no sign-ups, your delete request will be accepted.
Back to top

Signing Up to Work Shifts

Will I be reminded before my upcoming work shift?

Yes, the system is set up to send automatic reminder emails to the email address in your account profile. Depending on how the event chairperson has set up their event, you could get up to 2 reminder emails (e.g. one email 7 days before the shift and a second reminder the day before).

How can I know if the system emails are working for me?

Click the “Send a Test Email” menu item. Confirm that you want the system to send you a test email. If you receive the test email, you know things are working. If not, you can use the “Update My Profile” menu item to update the email address in your account.

We have a single household account. How do we indicate which one of us will actually be working a given shift?

Having separate accounts is the preferred way. However, it is possible to also do this with a single account. When you sign-up to work a shift, you can specify an “Alternate Worker“. Use this to indicate who will actually be working and to provide the contact information for that person. The service hours will still get credited to your family / household account.
Back to top

Can someone else work on my behalf and still give credit to our family’s hours?

When you sign-up to work a shift,
you can specify an “Alternate Worker“. Use this to indicate who will actually be working and to provide the contact information for that person. The service hours will still get credited to your family / household account.

How can I indicate that some else will be working for me, for a shift I have already signed up?

Use the “View My Hours & Sign-Ups” menu item. Click on the future sign-up to edit it. There you will be able to specify an “Alternate Worker“. If you have a joint account, you may use this to clarify specifically who will be working. You may also use this to specify someone different (a relative, friend, adult child, etc.) that will be working the shift on your behalf. You are still ultimately responsible for ensuring the shift is worked. Note that the hours will still be credited to your household.
Back to top

How do I cancel a sign-up?

Select the “View My Hours & Sign-Ups” menu item. Click on a future sign-up and you’ll be taken to a page for editing your sign-up. If you are enough days before the event, you’ll be able to cancel your sign-up online. Else, you can contact the event chairperson and make appropriate arrangements to swap or cancel.

How can I swap dates with someone?

Select the “View My Hours & Sign-Ups” menu item and click on the future sign-up you want to change. If you are enough days in advance, you could cancel and let the other person sign up in that slot, and vice versa for their slot. Else, contact the event chairperson and they can update the sign-ups for you, to do the swap.

Viewing My Hours Worked and Upcoming Sign-Ups

How do I know how many hours I’ve worked?

Select the “View My Hours & Sign-Ups” menu item. This will display a complete summary of your household / family account including the users in your household, all your hours worked to date, an indication of whether those are still pending validation by the event chairperson, and all future sign-ups in your household. Totals of your hours worked are also shown.

We have 2 user logins / accounts in our family. Can I see the total of all hours credited to our household?

Yes, the “View My Hours & Sign-Ups” menu item will show the hours and sign-ups from all users in your household.

Can I see a list of all my upcoming Sign-Ups?

Yes, the “View My Hours & Sign-Ups” menu item includes a listing of all future sign-ups in your household.

Why do some of my hours say “Not validated”?

After an event date has passed, the event chairperson must validate all hours worked, using the sign-in sheets and other information they may have. If an event date has passed and your hours say “Not validated”, this means the event chairperson has not yet done that step.

Why do some of my hours show a different amount than the scheduled shift amount?

After an event date has passed, the event chairperson must log in and validate the hours worked. They have the option to indicate the actual hours worked. If different than the scheduled shift time, they can enter a comment to explain. You would typically get an email if they validate your actual hours to be different than the scheduled amount. If they entered a comment, you’ll see that comment in the “View My Hours & Sign-Ups” page.

Validation of Hours Worked

Do I still need to sign in when I work at an event?

Yes, all workers need to sign in when they work. These records will be used to help validate the hours worked and will be kept in the school office.

Am I automatically credited for the hours I have signed up for?

No, the Event Chairperson must go into the tool after an event shift/date and validate the hours worked. They also have the option to indicate the actual hours worked. If different than the scheduled shift time, they can enter a comment to explain. You would typically get an email if they validate your actual hours to be different than the scheduled amount. If they entered a comment, you’ll see that comment in the “View My Hours & Sign-Ups” page.

My report shows a different number of hours credited than the shift I signed up for. What does this mean?

Will I receive an email every time my hours are validated?

No. Normally your hours will be validated to be worked as scheduled and you can view the latest status with the “View My Hours & Sign-Ups” menu item. But if the event chairperson enters a comment or updates the actual hours worked to be different than scheduled, then an email will be sent to you.

Security & Privacy Considerations

Is my data secure?

Standard security measures are built into the Service Hours Online Tool to protect the privacy of your data. While this service hours data is not as sensitive as your financial or similar types of information, we still take your privacy seriously. Security & privacy measures built into the tool include:

not putting a list of students on the website (when creating your account, you must provide the name of the oldest student in your household and have it validated against our list)
password encryption (no one in the school can see the actual passwords)
automated email to all users within a household if another user links to your household (just to make sure this is not unexpected)
being able to view the hours only for your household (after logging in)
users specifying the maximum number of user accounts they expect within their household
seeing a list of all users who are linked to your household (e.g. mother, father)
office staff being able to suspend a user account if there are security concerns

What prevents someone else from viewing my report of hours worked?

Only users with accounts linked to your household can view your service hours summary data. If you set up your account with the “Max Users” to exactly match the number of user accounts in your household, then no other users will be able to link to your household’s account.
Back to top

How do I know if someone links to our household account?

All existing users in a household will receive an email whenever another new or existing user links to your household account. Also, you can check the “View My Hours & Sign-Ups” to see which users are linked to your household.

Can I see a list of all users who are linked to our family’s household account?

Yes, the “View My Hours & Sign-Ups” menu item will display all users who are linked to your family’s household account.

What should I do if I suspect there’s an unwelcome user linked to our household account?

Please contact the school office immediately. They have the ability to suspend a user login if there is suspicion of security issues. See the “Contact Us for Support” menu item.

Can the school office see my password?

No, all passwords are encrypted before they are stored and cannot be viewed or unencrypted after that