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Parental Consent

Parental Consent

Parental Rights and Options Information from TEA 

  • New Parental Consent Forms
    New legislation from the 89th Texas Legislative Session (Senate Bill 12) requires parents and guardians to provide annual consent for school-based health and counseling services.

Health Services

Parents must give consent before schools can provide routine physical health services, such as, first aid for minor injuries, vision and hearing screenings, and other routine school-based health services.  Below, you will find the Parent/Guardian Consent for School Health Services forms for each campus.

 

If you choose to consent (opt-in) to campus‑based health‑related services and your child becomes ill or sustains an injury during the school day, the campus nurse or trained staff will be permitted to assess and provide care to your student in a timely manner and return them to learning, when applicable. 

If you choose to withhold consent (opt-out) of campus-based health-related services and your child becomes ill or sustains an injury during the school day, the campus nurse or trained staff will not be permitted to assess or provide care—except in cases of a life‑threatening emergency.

If the nurse and campus staff are not permitted to provide care for your student:

  • For minor injuries (i.e. scraped knee), a parent/guardian WILL be contacted to determine if the student can return to class or must be picked up in order for parent/guardian to provide care. SISD staff will NOT be able to provide care for the injury, including giving a band-aid, cleaning off a scrape, etc.
  • For student complaint of illness, a parent/guardian  WILL be contacted to determine if the student can return to class or must be picked up in order for the parent/guardian to provide care.  SISD staff will NOT be able to assess the child for illness, including taking a temperature, checking for lice, etc.
  • For suspected illness, a parent/guardian WILL be contacted, and the student must be picked up in a timely manner and follow the SISD policy on when they may return.

 

FAQs: Consent for Health Services

  • Examples of routine health services that may be provided with your consent acknowledged on the School Health-Related Services Parental Consent Form:

    Physical health services:

    • First aid and injury evaluation
    • Nursing assessments and/or care of symptoms of illness or injury while at school
    • Routine health screenings- vision, hearing, spinal screening, and Texas Risk Assessment for Type 2 Diabetes in Children
    • Monitoring of chronic health conditions (e.g., diabetes, seizures, asthma)
    • Communicable disease or condition symptom evaluation, exclusion and readmission
    • Administration of medications (upon written parent request and with a physician’s order)
    • Health counseling and education (nutrition, hygiene, disease prevention, general wellness)
    • Coordination of health services
    • Special procedures (upon written parent request and with a physician’s order)

  • Parental consent is not required for these services:

    • Medical emergencies or those required by law

  • These services are provided by licensed school nurses, teachers, athletic trainers, administrators, clinic aides or other staff  employed by SISD who are charged with supervising children.

  • In a serious emergency, staff will still act to protect your child’s safety and will contact you immediately.

  • Yes. All health records are protected under state and federal privacy laws.

Counseling Services

Parents must give consent before schools can provide mental or behavioral health services, such as short-term, school-based counseling for emotional or behavioral support, and social-emotional learning.

 

As a parent or guardian, you have the right to consent (opt-in), or to withhold consent (opt-out) for some or all counseling services provided at your child’s campus.

Parents and guardians must give consent before professional school counselors and student support specialists can provide mental or behavioral health services such as:

  • Classroom guidance lessons to help all students develop transferable skills that support educational, career, personal, social success – such as bully prevention, Red Ribbon drug prevention, etiquette club, etc
  • Responsive service counseling, to intervene on behalf of any student whose immediate personal concerns put the student's continued educational, career, personal, or social development at risk. 
  • Individual planning meetings to guide a student as they plan,  monitor, and manage their own educational, career, personal, and social development.

  • Examples of services by school counselors or mental health staff that may be provided with parental consent are:

    • Short-term individual or small group counseling for emotional or behavioral support
    • Social-emotional learning
    • Support during emotional distress or crisis
    • Red Ribbon Week, Bullying Education, Etiquette Club

  • No. Parental consent is not required for school counselors to provide academic services. Counselors will continue to support students with:

    • Course selection and scheduling
    • College and career readiness planning
    • Academic goal setting and monitoring
    • General school success strategies

    Note: This law (SB 12) only applies to mental and behavioral health-related counseling services, not academic counseling.

  •  

    Students whose parents/guardians do not consent to delivery of the guidance curriculum or to individual planning sessions will be supervised in an alternate location.

    • Medical emergencies or those required by law including:
      • Immediate help if a student is at risk of self-harm or experiencing suicidal thoughts
      • Support for grief after a death or traumatic event
      • Situations involving suspected abuse or neglect (required by law to report)
      • Other urgent matters required by state or federal law
    • NOTE: Under Texas law a CHILD MAY CONSENT to their own counseling involving suicide prevention, chemical use or dependency, or abuse or neglect.

    • Staff will protect your child’s safety, call you immediately, and provide community resources.

  • Yes. All health records are protected under state and federal privacy laws.

How Do I Change My Decision?

If for whatever reason a parent/guardian decides to alter their original decision on the Parental Consent Form during the academic year, please submit a written request to your child’s school office.