When Outschool automatically cancels sections
In some situations, Outschool will automatically cancel a class section without any action from the teacher. This typically occurs when a section has no enrollments—in those cases, Outschool automatically cancels the section 24 hours before the section start time.
Outschool will also immediately cancel a fixed-length section if all enrollments are withdrawn or transferred within 24 hours of the first meeting, leaving the section empty.
What happens after a section is auto-canceled
If a section is automatically canceled, you will receive an email notification with a link to un-cancel the section. Note that if the class is not published, you will not receive this email notification.
When sections are not automatically canceled
Outschool will not automatically cancel sections in the following situations:
Recurring class sections
Sections that teachers previously un-canceled
When teachers need to cancel a section
We understand that sometimes situations arise that make it impossible to teach a scheduled section with enrolled learners. If you are unable to teach a section that already has learners enrolled, you will need to cancel the section so families are notified and refunded.
Before canceling a section
Before canceling the section, it’s important to notify families in the classroom explaining why the class is being canceled. This ensures families receive your message and understand what to expect next.
Keep in mind that once a section is canceled, learners will no longer be able to see the classroom page or receive notifications. For this reason, teachers should post their message before canceling the section.
If possible, cancel the section at least 24 hours before the class is scheduled to start so families have time to adjust their plans.
Important cancellation rules
The following system behaviors are important to understand when canceling a section:
Setting a section to private does not cancel the section.
Deleting meeting times from the schedule does not cancel the section or issue refunds to families.
If you are canceling a recurring class, you must cancel the meeting by clicking the red X next to the meeting date and time.
If you cancel meeting times after Sunday subscription charges have been processed, you may need to manually refund families for that week using the Change enrollment button from the Learners tab.
How to cancel a section
Follow these steps to cancel the section:
Post in the classroom explaining why the section is being canceled. The message you write here will be sent to all parents with enrolled learners, so it’s best to provide context and any next steps.
Cancel the section from the Edit tab.
Click Cancel & refund learners. This will automatically withdraw all learners and issue refunds to families.