Overview
The Classmates list is a feature in the Student Portal and Parent Portal that lets a _Student_ (or that _Student_’s Parent) see who else belongs to the same _Group_ (Class/Cohort). The Show Contact Details In Classmates Form setting controls one specific part of that list: whether personal contact information – home address, home phone, and mobile phone – is shown for the classmates (and, when a Parent is viewing, for the classmates’ own parents as well).
This setting only has an effect where the Classmates list is already available to be shown. Whether the Classmates list appears at all, and to whom, is controlled by a separate setting (see Prerequisites, below).
What This Setting Does
This is an on/off (enabled/disabled) setting with two effects, depending on its value:
- Enabled (default): each entry in the Classmates list also shows the classmate’s home address, home phone, and mobile phone. When a Parent is viewing the list, the same three contact details are also shown for the classmate’s mother and father, together with a small contact-details button and a send-message icon next to their names.
- Disabled: the Classmates list shows only each classmate’s name and photo. When a Parent is viewing the list, the classmates’ parents’ names are still shown, but no address, phone numbers, contact-details button, or send-message icon appears for them.
In both cases, the setting only changes what contact information is displayed on this one list. It does not add, remove, or change any contact information stored about a _Student_ or their family – it only decides whether that information is shown here.
Where It Is Used
This setting applies specifically to the Classmates list, reached from the Class Mates quick action on the Student Portal and Parent Portal dashboards. Opening this action shows the list of a _Student_’s classmates for their _Group_ (or _Groups_, if enrolled in more than one).
- In the Student Portal: a _Student_ opening Class Mates sees their own classmates, with or without contact details depending on this setting.
- In the Parent Portal: a Parent opening Class Mates for their child sees the same list, and this setting additionally governs the contact details and messaging option shown for the classmates’ own parents.
The setting is read each time the Classmates list is opened, so a change takes effect immediately the next time a _Student_ or Parent opens Class Mates – no logout or additional action is required.
Business Logic / Behavior
The following behavior can be confirmed directly from the setting’s design:
- Default behavior: if the setting has never been changed, it is enabled, meaning contact details are shown in the Classmates list.
- The setting applies uniformly across the institution – it is not possible to show contact details for some _Groups_ or some classmates and hide them for others; it is a single on/off switch for the whole Classmates list.
- Names and photos of classmates are always shown, in both the enabled and disabled state – this setting never hides who is in the _Group_, only their contact details.
- For Parent users, the names of a classmate’s mother and father are always shown as well; this setting only controls whether their contact details (address, phone numbers) and the contact/message option next to their names are shown.
Assumption (not directly confirmed in the setting’s own logic, but consistent with its purpose and naming): this setting exists to let each institution balance convenience (making it easy for families to reach classmates, for example to arrange carpools or study groups) against privacy (limiting how much personal contact information is shared automatically between unrelated families).
Example(s)
Setting location:Main Settings / General Settings/ Student-Parent Portal / Visibility Settings & Rights / Show Contact Details In Classmates Form
This is where you select whether to display classmates contact details to parents/students.
Requires that you have set in “Show Classmates For” in Main Settings / General Settings/ Student-Parent Portal / Visibility Settings & Rights, to “Parent” or “Student” or “Both”.
Example in parents portal
Setting -> Active
Contact details are visible
Figure 1
Setting -> Inactive
Contact details are not visible 
Figure 2
Example 1 – Enabled (default)
Alpha Academy leaves this setting at its default value, enabled. A parent, Maria P., logs into the Parent Portal and opens Class Mates for her child’s _Group_. Alongside each classmate’s name and photo, she sees their home address and phone numbers, and next to each classmate’s parents she sees a small contact button she can use to call or message them directly. She uses this to arrange a shared school-run carpool with another family in the same _Group_.
Example 2 – Disabled
Beta Institute disables this setting to limit how much personal information is shared between families. A student, George S., opens Class Mates for his _Group_ and sees only the names and photos of his classmates. No addresses or phone numbers appear, and there is no contact button next to the names of classmates’ parents.
When to Use
When to Enable
- The institution wants to make it easy for _Students_ and Parents to reach classmates directly, for example to arrange carpools, study groups, or social activities.
- The institution operates in a close-knit community where sharing basic contact details between enrolled families is expected and welcomed.
- Families have already been informed (for example, at enrollment) that classmate contact details are visible within the Classmates list, and are comfortable with this.
When to Disable
- The institution wants to limit the personal information (home address, phone numbers) shared automatically between unrelated families.
- The institution has stricter data-privacy requirements or policies around sharing one family’s contact details with another without explicit request or consent.
- The institution is large or does not consider it necessary for _Students_ or Parents to have each other’s contact details through the portal, preferring names and photos only for identification.
Notes
K-12 versus Higher Education Mode
This setting behaves identically whether the institution is running in K-12 mode or in Higher Education mode. There is no functional difference in what is shown or hidden between the two modes.
Prerequisites
- The Classmates list itself must first be made available to _Students_ and/or Parents through the Show Classmates For setting (see Related Settings, below). If that setting is set to hide the Classmates list entirely, this setting has no visible effect, since there is no list for it to apply to.
Related Settings
- Show Classmates For (“Students/Parents Portal > Visibility Settings and Rights – Show_Classmates_For”): decides whether the Classmates list is shown at all, and to _Students_, Parents, both, or neither. This setting must allow the list to be shown before Show Contact Details In Classmates Form becomes relevant.
- Hide Teacher Contact Information From Students (“Students/Parents Portal > Visibility Settings and Rights – Check_apokripsi_stoixeion_epikoin_ton_kathigitwn_se_mathites”): a similar, separate setting that controls whether Teacher contact details are visible to Students, rather than classmate contact details.
