Minga does not have a single detention button. Detention management is a workflow built from connected features, like behavior assignment, consequence types, stickers, kiosks, and check-in, that work together to assign, track, and close student detention obligations. This article explains how that workflow operates end-to-end to determine the best approach for your school.
Permission level: Owner | Admin
In this article
How detentions get assigned: The behavior incident and consequence workflow that starts every detention.
Detention consequence types: Open Detention vs. Scheduled Detention — what each is, how to configure each one, and which plan each requires.
Choosing your approach: A side-by-side comparison to help you decide which method fits your school.
How escalation works: What happens when a student misses or does not complete a detention.
Next Steps: Set up detentions with these easy-to-follow guides.
Before choosing an approach, it helps to understand the common starting point. A detention is a consequence. This consequence is assigned to a student, either directly from a staff member or ideally through cumulative behaviors leading to Minga automatically assigning a detention when specified thresholds are met with automations.
How detentions get assigned
Step 1: A behavior incident is recorded
A staff member assigns a behavior for a student in Minga. This could be a staff member assigning one through My Tools or a teacher assigning with an action in My Class. Incidents can be logged manually from the Behaviors section, from My Class, or from a student profile. Behavior automations can also trigger incidents automatically based on configured thresholds — for example, a student reaching their third tardy.
Step 2: A detention consequence is assigned
A detention consequence is assigned to the student as a result. This happens in one of two ways:
Automatically: A behavior automation assigns the detention consequence when a configured threshold is met. The automation runs without staff intervention.
Manually: A staff member with Admin or Manager permissions assigns the detention consequence directly from My Tools. Teachers can also manually assign detentions if they have been granted the appropriate permission.
Step 3: The detention is tracked and completed
Once a detention consequence is assigned, your school needs a way to hold the student accountable and record when the detention is served. Often, schools will utilize stickers that restrict student privileges, like event check-in with a 'No Access' sticker until the detention is served. To clear these restictions, student must serve a detention. The two sections below explain two different approaches depending on your Minga subscription.
Approaches to Detentions
When creating consequences in Minga, either to be for manual assignment or part of an automation framework, there are types of consequences to choose from. For detentions, Open and Scheduled Detention (available to Plus and Premium customers) offer two different approaches.
Approach 1: Open Detention
Open detention gives your school full control over when and where detention happens. You set the time and place. Students report to it. Staff clear the consequence when they arrive.
Best fit for: Schools that run detention on an ad-hoc or variable schedule, or want to manage the process without self-service student tools.
How it works:
A student receives a detention consequence via manual assignment or automation.
Staff communicates the detention time and location directly (verbally, email, or notice).
Optional: Use a Digital ID sticker to restrict student privileges until the detention is served.
When the student arrives, staff clear the consequence using one of two methods:
Check-in kiosk: Set up a kiosk with a check-in reason that auto-completes the detention consequence (made available at the end of a detention period), when the student checks in.
Manually from reports: Mark the consequence complete from Behaviors → Reports → Consequence History.
Guide for open detentions:
💎 Tip: The kiosk approach is lower-effort at detention time — students check themselves in and the consequence clears automatically. Manual completion from reports requires staff to be at a screen.
Approach 2: Scheduled Detentions (Plus and Premium Only)
Scheduled detentions give students visibility into available detention sessions and let them self-select a time to serve. The system tracks enrollment, manages capacity, and auto-assigns students if needed.
Best fit for: Schools that run detention on a fixed, recurring schedule and want to reduce the administrative overhead of tracking who has served and who hasn't.
How it works:
An admin sets up blackout dates (days detention doesn't run — holidays, exam periods, etc.).
An admin creates one or more detention periods — recurring schedules with days, times, location, and capacity.
Sessions auto-generate from the period. Students are enrolled automatically or can self-select a session.
Optional: Use a Digital ID sticker to restrict student privileges until the detention is served.
When students attend, they are checked in to the session. The system records completion.
Students can defer to a later session, up to the limit set by the admin.
Guide for scheduled detentions:
Which approach should you use?
Both approaches start from the same place: a behavior incident triggers a detention consequence. The difference is in how detention is scheduled, tracked, and completed after that point.
| Open detention | Scheduled detention |
Available on | All plans | Plus and Premium only |
Setup effort | Lower — uses existing check-in and consequence tools | Higher — requires session schedule configuration before use |
How sessions are scheduled | Your school coordinates directly with students | Minga places students into sessions automatically or lets students self-register |
Student involvement | Passive — staff manages all coordination | Active — students receive notifications and can register in the Minga app |
Best when detention runs... | Variably, on demand, or on an irregular schedule | On a fixed, recurring schedule with consistent times and locations |
Consequence cleared by | Kiosk check-in or manual entry in Consequence History | Attendance at a scheduled session tracked by the session supervisor |
Due dates | Not tracked by the system | Automatically calculated and enforced by Minga |
Escalation | Triggered when staff manually mark a consequence overdue | Triggered automatically when a student misses their session or the due date passes |
Capacity limits | Not enforced | Configurable per session period — enforced for both auto-assignment and self-registration |
Parent notifications | Configured at the consequence level | Automated — parents notified when assigned and when session is confirmed |
How escalation works
Escalation is what happens when a student does not complete their detention on time. Both detention types integrate with Minga's behavior automation system — but escalation is triggered differently depending on which approach your school uses.
Escalation with Open Detention
Open Detention does not track due dates or session attendance automatically. Escalation is triggered when a staff member manually reviews outstanding consequences in Behaviors > Reports > Consequence History and takes action — for example, marking the consequence as overdue or converting it to a more serious consequence type.
For Open Detention, escalation relies on regular manual review by staff. Your behavior automations handle what happens next once a consequence is escalated.
Escalation with Scheduled Detention
Scheduled Detention tracks due dates and session attendance automatically. Escalation is triggered by the system when one of the following occurs:
A student misses their assigned session: The student was enrolled in a session and did not attend. The system records the absence.
A detention requirement becomes overdue: The due date passes and the detention has not been completed. Status changes to Overdue.
When either condition is met, Minga triggers the escalation automations your school has configured. The behavior automations define exactly what happens next — for example:
The student is given an additional opportunity to complete detention.
A more serious consequence is automatically assigned.
A parent notification is sent.
A staff member is alerted to review the case.
The system continues following your configured automation rules until the detention requirement is completed or a further consequence is triggered. You control the full escalation path through your behavior automation settings.
Next steps
Choose your approach and follow the corresponding guide:
Open detention → Manual detention setup guide
Scheduled detention → Scheduled detention setup guide
Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting
The Scheduled Detention consequence type does not appear when creating a consequence
The Scheduled Detention consequence type only appears for schools on Plus or Premium plans. If your school is on the Basic plan, only Open Detention is available. If your school is on Plus or Premium and the Scheduled Detention option still does not appear, confirm that at least one detention session schedule has been configured in Behaviors > Settings > Scheduled Detention Settings. Minga requires a session schedule to exist before the Scheduled Detention consequence type becomes selectable.
A behavior automation is not assigning detentions as expected
If a behavior automation is not assigning detention consequences when expected, navigate to Behaviors > Settings > Automations and confirm that the automation is active, the trigger threshold is correctly set, and the consequence assigned by the automation is the correct detention type. Also confirm that the student triggering the automation meets all configured conditions — for example, the correct behavior type, location, or staff member.
FAQs
FAQs
What is the difference between Open Detention and Scheduled Detention?
Open Detention and Scheduled Detention are two consequence types that represent different approaches to delivering detention. Open Detention assigns a detention obligation without connecting it to a specific session — your school coordinates the timing directly and staff clear the consequence when the student attends. Scheduled Detention connects the obligation to a session in your school's configured detention schedule, tracks enrollment and attendance automatically, and triggers escalation if the student misses their session or the due date passes.
Can my school use both Open Detention and Scheduled Detention at the same time?
Yes. Your school can configure both Open Detention and Scheduled Detention consequence types and use each for different situations. For example, you might use Scheduled Detention for standard behavior referrals that go through your fixed detention calendar, and Open Detention for ad-hoc situations where a teacher handles detention directly. Each consequence type is configured and assigned independently.
Can teachers assign detentions?
Teachers can manually assign detention consequences if they have been granted the appropriate permission by an Admin. Behavior automations can also assign detentions automatically without teacher involvement. By default, creating and managing consequence types requires Admin or Owner permissions.
What happens to a student's detention if they leave the school?
If a student is removed from your school roster in Minga, their outstanding detention requirements are deleted automatically. No further escalation or notification is triggered for a student who is no longer rostered.
Can an Admin manually mark a Scheduled Detention as complete?
Yes. Admins can manually mark a Scheduled Detention requirement as completed for a student. This option exists for situations where the detention was served outside the system, where operational issues prevented proper check-in, or where administrative discretion is appropriate. Teachers and supervisors cannot manually mark detentions as complete outside of the attendance tracking workflow during an active session.
Does Minga automatically adjust a detention due date if no sessions are available?
Yes. When a Scheduled Detention consequence is assigned, Minga validates that the student can feasibly complete the detention before the configured due date. If no valid session exists before the due date — for example, because all nearby sessions are at capacity or fall on blackout dates — Minga automatically adjusts the due date to the earliest date that gives the student at least one valid session opportunity. Admins can also manually extend due dates at any time.
Resources
Resources
Set up Open Detention: How to configure the check-in kiosk, consequence clearing, and the full delivery workflow for Open Detention.
Set up Scheduled Detention: How to configure blackout dates, detention periods, assignment mode, and the full session lifecycle for Scheduled Detention.
Setting Up Behavior Consequences & Automations in your Minga: Configuring the consequence types and automation rules that drive both detention approaches.