Default Roles

Mosaic comes with a set of default roles designed to match common job functions in a school. Each role is a predefined collection of permissions that can be assigned to any staff member.

These roles serve as a foundation — they can be customized or supplemented with individual grants to meet your school’s specific needs. Users can also have multiple roles assigned simultaneously.

Roles Work Alongside Inherent Access

Roles define broad, school-wide permissions. Staff also receive automatic Inherent Access based on their relationships (class teacher, homeroom teacher, supervisor, etc.). The two layers are independent — removing a role does not affect inherent access.

Quick Comparison

Use this table to compare what each role provides at a glance. Scroll right to see all roles.

Each cell names the access level that role grants for that permission, in the same words the Roles editor uses. Levels differ by permission — some run None / View / Edit, others have their own steps such as Contributor or Unrestricted. A blank cell means no access from the role itself; staff may still get access to their own students and classes through Inherent Access.

	School Administrator	Division Principal	Teacher	Basic	Office Staff	Academic Assistant	Guidance Counselor	Student Support	Health Staff	Admissions	Human Resources	Business Manager	Cashier	Curriculum Coordinator	Instructional Coach	Attendance Manager	Cafeteria Manager	IT Support	Observer
Access to All Students
Student Profile	Edit	View	View	Basic	Edit	Edit	Edit	View	View	Edit	Basic	View	View	View	View	View	View	View	View
Student Schedule	Edit	View	View		View	View	Edit	View	View	View		View	View	Edit	View	View		View	View
Family Access	Edit	View			Edit	View	View	View		View								Edit
Locker Assignments	Edit	Edit			View	View	Edit	View
Student Attendance	Edit				Edit	View	View	View	Edit				View		View	Edit	View		View
Attendance Journal	Contributor				Contributor	Contributor	Contributor	Contributor	Contributor						View	Contributor
Student Discipline	Admin					Contributor	View	View							View				View
Discipline Journal	Contributor						Contributor	Contributor							View
Student Health	Edit						View	View	Edit	Edit
Health Journal	Contributor						View	View	Contributor
Student Support	Admin					View	Admin	Edit	View					Edit	View				View
Language Development	Edit						Edit	Edit						Edit	View				View
Support Journal	Contributor						Contributor	Contributor	Contributor					Contributor	View
Student Resources	Edit				View	View	View	View					View	Edit	View				View
Communication Journal	Contributor	Contributor			Contributor	Contributor	Contributor	Contributor	Contributor			Contributor		Contributor					View
Academic Record	Edit					View	View	View							View				View
Academic Journal	Contributor						Contributor	Contributor							View
Service Hours	Edit				Edit		Edit	View											View
Access to All Staff
Staff Profile	Edit	Edit	View	Basic	Edit		View	View	View	Basic	Edit	View	View	View	View	Basic	View	View	View
Sensitive Staff Info	Edit								View		Edit	View						Edit
Staff Schedule	View	View	View		View		View	View	View		View	View	View	View	View				View
Staff Attendance	Edit				View						Edit			View	View				View
Staff Attendance Journal	Contributor										Contributor			Contributor
Staff Health	Edit								Edit		Edit
Staff Health Journal	Contributor								Contributor
Employment Records	Edit	View			View						Edit	View		View	View				View
Employment Journal	Contributor										Contributor	Contributor
Professional Development	Edit					Edit					Edit			Edit	Edit				View
Staff Supervision	Contributor
Instructional Coaching															Subordinates Only
Staff Notifications	Edit																	Edit
Staff Resources	Edit										View			View	View
Communication
Group Email	Admin	Admin	Send		Send	Admin	Send (Unmoderated)	Send	Send (Unmoderated)	Send	Send	Send	Send (Unmoderated)	Send	Send	Send (Unmoderated)		Send
Forms & Documents	Admin	Contributor			Contributor														View
Family Action Center	Manager	Contributor				Manager	Manager			Manager
Events Calendar	Admin	Full			Full		Full
All Contacts	Admin	Edit			Edit	View	View	View	View	View	View	View		View				View
Contact Journal	Contributor	Contributor			Contributor	Contributor				Contributor				Contributor
Groups & Checklists	Admin	Admin	Standard	Standard	Standard	Admin	Standard	Standard	Standard	Standard	Standard	Standard	Standard	Admin	Standard	Standard		Standard	Standard
Help Desk	Admin	Standard	Standard	Standard	Standard	Standard	Standard	Standard	Standard	Standard	Standard	Standard	Standard	Standard	Standard	Standard		Admin
Review (Primary Language)
Review (Secondary Language)
Translate (Primary Language)
Translate (Secondary Language)
Review Supervisor	Edit	Edit
Lunch Menu	Edit	Edit	View	View	Edit	Edit	View	View	View	View	View	Edit	View	View	View	View	Edit	View	View
Lunch Orders	Edit	Edit			Edit	Edit						Edit					Edit
Service Hours Management	Edit	Edit			Edit		Edit					Edit							View
Administration
Profile Pictures	Edit	Edit	View		Edit	View				Edit	Edit							Edit
Library	Edit	Edit												Edit				Edit	View
Curriculum Admin	Edit													Edit	View				View
Schedule Admin	Edit	Edit				Edit	Edit							Edit					View
Assessment Admin	Edit													Edit					View
Family Access Settings	Edit				View		View	View				View				View		Edit
Standardized Test Admin	Edit	Edit					Edit							Edit					View
Staff Delegation	Edit
Academic Records Admin	Edit					Edit	Edit							Edit					View
Admissions	Admin	View			Edit	Edit	View		View	Admin		View	View	View					View
Transportation	Admin	View			Manage Riders	Manage Riders						Admin	Manage Riders						View
Finance
Accounting Access
Accounting Settings
Chart of Accounts
Accounting Registers
Accounting Reports
Accounting Auditor
Accounting Admin
Cashier	Admin											Supervisor	Contracts
Cashier POS Credits												Edit	Edit
Mass Charges												Admin
POS Admin	Edit											Edit	View
Expense Accounts	Admin	Edit										Admin	Edit
Assets Admin
System Configuration
District Settings	View	View
School Settings	Edit	View
Year / Calendar Settings	Edit	View
Form Letters	Edit
User Administration	Role Management																	Role Management
Year Access	Full Access (All Years)	View Past Years				View Past Years				View Past Years	View Past Years	View Past Years	View Past Years	View Past Years				View Past Years	View Past Years
Marking Period Access	Unrestricted	Unrestricted	Read Only		Unrestricted	Unrestricted	Unrestricted	Unrestricted	Unrestricted	Unrestricted	Unrestricted	Unrestricted	Unrestricted	Unrestricted		Unrestricted		Unrestricted	Read Only
Admin Journal Visibility	Yes	Yes

Permission Categories

Each role grants permissions across six categories:

Category	What It Covers
Student	Student profiles, schedules, attendance, discipline, health, support, language development, academics, service logs
Staff	Staff profiles, sensitive data, schedules, attendance, health, employment, professional development, supervision/coaching journals, notifications, resources
Communication	Email, forms & documents, Family Action Center, calendar, contacts, groups & checklists, Help Desk, content review/translation, lunch menu/orders, service hours
Administration	Profile pictures, library, curriculum, scheduling, assessments, standardized tests, academic records, admissions, transportation, staff delegation, family access settings
Finances	Accounting, cashier, POS, mass charges, expense accounts, assets
System Config	District/school settings, year and calendar settings, form letters, user administration, year and marking period access, admin journal visibility

Reports Are Not a Separate Permission

Mosaic no longer has separate “General Reports” and “Admin Reports” permissions. Each report is governed by the permission for the data it presents, so a role that can see the underlying records can also run the reports built on them — for example, Student Statistics requires Student → Profile at View, Temporary ID Cards require Administration → Admissions at Edit, and Staff Statistics requires Staff → Employment at View.

School Administrator

Recommended for: Principals, deans, or school-level administrators.

Broad access across student and staff records, communication, and administrative features. Includes school-level system configuration, full cashier access, and expense account management. No general accounting permissions.

Category	Summary
Student	Edit access to profiles, schedules, family access, lockers, attendance, discipline, health, support, language development, resources, academics, service logs, and all journals.
Staff	Edit access to profiles, sensitive data, attendance, health, employment, professional development, notifications, resources, and all journals (attendance, health, employment, supervision). View access to schedules.
Communication	Email admin (send, moderate, supervisor). Calendar admin. Edit contacts and contact journal. Groups admin. Help Desk admin. Review supervisor. Edit lunch menu, lunch orders, service hours.
Administration	Edit access to profile pictures, library, curriculum, scheduling, assessments, academic records. Admissions admin. Transportation admin.
Finances	Cashier admin — charges, payments, contracts, and cashier settings. Edit POS admin. Expense accounts admin.
System Config	Edit access to school settings, year configuration, form letters, family access settings. User administration (role management). View past years. View district settings. Journal visibility.

Division Principal

Recommended for: Division principals, area coordinators, or section heads responsible for a specific set of grade levels.

Division-level administrator role. Student data access for their assigned divisions is provided automatically through Inherent Access based on the division principal assignment. This role provides broad platform features, communication tools, and administrative access alongside that inherent student access.

Category	Summary
Student	View access to profiles. Edit access to lockers and communication journal. View access to schedules. Most student data access comes from inherent access based on division assignment.
Staff	Edit access to profiles. View access to schedules, employment.
Communication	Email admin (send, moderate, supervisor). Calendar full. Edit contacts and contact journal. Groups admin. Help Desk standard. Review supervisor. Edit lunch menu, lunch orders, service hours. Edit profile pictures.
Administration	Edit access to library, curriculum, scheduling, assessments, academic records. View access to admissions, transportation.
Finances	Edit access to expense accounts.
System Config	View past years. View district settings, school settings, year configuration, family access settings. Journal visibility.

Teacher

Recommended for: Classroom teachers, educational assistants, student teachers.

Minimal role-based permissions. Teachers primarily access student data through their inherent access as class teachers and homeroom teachers. This role provides platform features and basic visibility.

Category	Summary
Student	View access to profiles and schedules. All other student access comes from inherent access.
Staff	View access to staff profiles and schedules.
Communication	Send email. Manage groups. Help Desk standard. View lunch menu.
Administration	None.
Finances	None.
System Config	None.

Basic

Recommended for: Staff who only need the most basic platform features, such as viewing the lunch menu, accessing the library catalog, or submitting Help Desk requests.

Minimal access. Provides a handful of platform features without access to student or staff records, communication tools, or administrative functions beyond the basics.

Category	Summary
Student	Basic student info only (name, grade, picture).
Staff	Basic staff info only (name, position, picture).
Communication	Manage groups. Help Desk standard. View lunch menu.
Administration	None.
Finances	None.
System Config	None.

Office Staff

Recommended for: Secretaries, administrative assistants, front desk staff.

Focused on student enrollment, attendance, communication, and day-to-day administrative tasks.

Category	Summary
Student	Edit access to profiles, family access, attendance, communication journal, service logs. Contribute to attendance journal. View access to schedules, lockers, resources.
Staff	Edit access to staff profiles. View access to schedules, attendance, employment.
Communication	Send email. Calendar full. Edit contacts and contact journal. Manage groups. Help Desk standard. Edit lunch menu, lunch orders, service hours. Edit profile pictures.
Administration	Edit access to admissions. Manage riders for transportation.
Finances	None.
System Config	View access to family access settings.

Academic Assistant

Recommended for: Academic office staff who maintain student records, schedules, and academic history.

Sits between Office Staff and School Administrator: the record-keeping reach of an academic office without school-wide configuration or staff management.

Category	Summary
Student	Edit access to profiles. View access to schedules, family access, lockers, attendance, support, resources, academic records. Contribute to attendance, discipline, and communication journals.
Staff	Edit professional development.
Communication	Group email admin. Family Action Center manager. Groups & checklists admin. View contacts and contribute to the contact journal. Standard Help Desk access. Edit lunch menu and orders.
Administration	Schedule admin. Academic records admin. Admissions edit. View profile pictures. Manage bus riders.
Finances	None.
System Config	View past years. Unrestricted marking period access.

Guidance Counselor

Recommended for: School guidance counselors, chaplains, student advisors.

Broad student access focused on academic and support needs. Edit access to profiles, schedules, support records, and key journals. Includes scheduling and admissions tools.

Category	Summary
Student	Edit access to profiles, schedules, lockers, support, language development, service logs. Contribute to attendance, discipline, communication, health, support, and academic journals. View access to family access, attendance, discipline, health, resources, academics.
Staff	View access to staff profiles and schedules.
Communication	Send unmoderated email. Calendar full. View contacts. Manage groups. Help Desk standard. View lunch menu. Edit service hours.
Administration	Edit access to scheduling and academic records. View access to admissions.
Finances	None.
System Config	View access to family access settings.

Student Support

Recommended for: Learning resources teachers, school psychologists, special education coordinators, or other student support specialists.

Read-focused access across student data with contribute access to key journals and edit access to support records and language development. Unlike the Guidance Counselor role, this role does not include edit access to profiles, schedules, academics, or administrative tools.

Category	Summary
Student	Edit access to support records and language development. Contribute to attendance, discipline, support, communication, and academic journals. View access to profiles, schedules, family access, lockers, attendance, discipline, health, resources, academics, service logs.
Staff	View access to staff profiles and schedules.
Communication	Send email. View contacts. Manage groups. Help Desk standard. View lunch menu.
Administration	None.
Finances	None.
System Config	View access to family access settings.

Health Staff

Recommended for: School nurses, health aides, medical staff.

Focused on student and staff health records with supporting attendance access.

Category	Summary
Student	Edit access to attendance and health. Contribute to attendance, health, support, and communication journals. View access to profiles, schedules, support.
Staff	Edit access to staff health and health journal. View access to staff profiles and schedules.
Communication	Send unmoderated email. View contacts. Manage groups. Help Desk standard. View lunch menu.
Administration	View access to admissions.
Finances	None.
System Config	None.

Admissions

Recommended for: Admissions officers, enrollment coordinators.

Focused on the admissions and enrollment process with supporting student data access.

Category	Summary
Student	Edit access to profiles and health. View access to schedules, family access. Contribute to contact journal.
Staff	Basic staff info only (name, position, picture).
Communication	Send email. View contacts. Contribute to contact journal. Manage groups. Help Desk standard. View lunch menu.
Administration	Manage profile pictures. Admissions admin (full access).
Finances	None.
System Config	View past years.

Human Resources

Recommended for: HR managers, personnel administrators.

Full access to staff records including sensitive information, employment, and professional development. Minimal student access.

Category	Summary
Student	Basic student info only (name, grade, picture).
Staff	Edit access to profiles, sensitive data, attendance, health, employment, professional development, and all journals (attendance, employment). View access to schedules, resources.
Communication	Send email. View contacts. Manage groups. Help Desk standard. View lunch menu.
Administration	Edit access to profile pictures.
Finances	None.
System Config	View past years.

Business Manager

Recommended for: Business managers, school operations managers, finance directors.

Cashier supervision, mass charges, and expense account administration, with basic student and staff visibility to support school operations.

Category	Summary
Student	View access to profiles and schedules. Contribute to communication journal.
Staff	View access to profiles, sensitive data, schedules, employment. Contribute to employment journal.
Communication	Send email. View contacts. Manage groups. Help Desk standard. Edit lunch menu. Edit lunch orders.
Administration	View access to admissions. Transportation admin.
Finances	Cashier supervisor — everything a cashier can do, plus voiding and reversing other cashiers' work. Edit POS credits and POS admin. Mass charges admin. Expense accounts admin.
System Config	View past years. View family access settings.

Cashier

Recommended for: Front-desk and business-office staff who receive payments and set up payment contracts.

Receives money against charges families already owe, and manages payment contracts. Cannot void or reverse another cashier’s work — that is the Business Manager’s supervisor level.

Category	Summary
Student	View access to profiles, schedules, attendance, resources.
Staff	View access to profiles and schedules.
Communication	Send group email without moderation. Standard groups and Help Desk access. View lunch menu.
Administration	View admissions. Manage bus riders.
Finances	Cashier at contract level — take payments, post charges, and create and manage payment contracts. Edit POS credits. View POS admin. Edit expense accounts.
System Config	View past years. Unrestricted marking period access.

Curriculum Coordinator

Recommended for: Curriculum coordinators and department heads who support teachers with planning and assessment.

Focused on curriculum, instruction, and academic support — manages planbooks, standards, scheduling, assessments, and academic records, with tools for communicating with staff and families.

Category	Summary
Student	View access to profiles. Edit access to schedules, support, language development, resources. Contribute to support and communication journals.
Staff	View access to profiles, schedules, attendance, employment. Edit professional development. View staff resources. Contribute to attendance journal.
Communication	Send email. View contacts. Contribute to contact journal. Groups admin. Help Desk standard. View lunch menu.
Administration	Edit access to library, curriculum, scheduling, assessments, academic records. View access to admissions.
Finances	None.
System Config	View past years.

Instructional Coach

Recommended for: Instructional coaches who work with teachers to improve instruction, with access to curriculum, supervision logs, and basic student records.

Focused on teacher coaching and curriculum support with view-only student access and edit access to professional development and coaching journals.

Category	Summary
Student	View access to profiles, schedules, attendance, discipline, support, language development, resources, academics. View attendance, discipline, support, and academic journals.
Staff	View access to profiles, schedules, attendance, employment, resources. Edit professional development. Contribute to coaching journal.
Communication	Send email. Manage groups. Help Desk standard. View lunch menu.
Administration	View access to curriculum.
Finances	None.
System Config	None.

Attendance Manager

Recommended for: Staff responsible for managing school-wide attendance tracking.

Narrow role focused on student attendance with basic supporting access.

Category	Summary
Student	Edit access to attendance. Contribute to attendance journal. View access to profiles and schedules.
Staff	Basic staff info only (name, position, picture).
Communication	Send unmoderated email. Manage groups. Help Desk standard. View lunch menu.
Administration	None.
Finances	None.
System Config	View family access settings.

Cafeteria Manager

Recommended for: Cafeteria and food-service staff who run the lunch menu and daily orders.

Deliberately narrow: everything needed to publish a menu and fill orders, plus just enough student and staff lookup to tell whose order is whose.

Category	Summary
Student	View access to profiles and attendance.
Staff	View access to profiles.
Communication	Edit lunch menu and lunch orders.
Administration	None.
Finances	None.
System Config	None.

IT Support

Recommended for: Network administrators, technology support staff.

Focused on user account management, system configuration, and basic troubleshooting access.

Category	Summary
Student	View access to profiles and schedules. Edit access to family access.
Staff	View access to staff profiles. Edit staff sensitive info. Edit staff notifications.
Communication	Send email. View contacts. Manage groups. Help Desk admin. View lunch menu.
Administration	Edit access to profile pictures and library.
Finances	None.
System Config	User administration (role management). Edit family access settings.

Observer

Recommended for: Superintendents, board members, accreditation visitors, or anyone needing broad view-only access across the platform.

View-only access to most areas of the system. Cannot edit any data.

Category	Summary
Student	View access to profiles, schedules, attendance, discipline, support, language development, resources, communication journal, academics, service logs.
Staff	View access to profiles, schedules, attendance, employment, professional development.
Communication	Manage groups. View lunch menu, service hours.
Administration	View access to library, curriculum, scheduling, assessments, academic records, admissions, transportation.
Finances	None.
System Config	View past years.