Managing Contacts & Relationships

Learn how to manage student contacts, relationships, and pickup authorizations including special security cases like "do not release".

Contact management in Aqui Aca goes beyond just storing phone numbers and email addresses. The system helps you track different types of relationships, manage pickup authorizations, and ensure student safety through detailed contact permissions.

Understanding Contact Types

Aqui Aca uses contact types to define the relationship between a contact and a student. Each type serves a specific purpose and helps staff understand how to interact with different contacts.

Contact Type Purpose Common Examples
Parent/Guardian Primary caregivers with legal authority over the student. These contacts receive all communications and notifications. Parents, legal guardians, foster parents
Emergency Contact People to contact in case of emergency or when parents are unavailable. Grandparents, aunts/uncles, family friends, neighbors
Doctor Medical professionals for special cases. Pediatrician, family doctor, therapist
Other Custom relationship types not covered by other categories Friend, nanny, social worker

Using the 'Other' Contact Type

When you select "Other" as the contact type, you'll need to specify a custom label that describes the relationship. This allows you to track specialized relationships like "Speech Therapist" or "Social Worker" that don't fit the standard categories.

Pickup Authorization Levels

Pickup authorization determines who is allowed to pick up a student from your program. This is a critical safety feature that helps protect students and provides legal protection for your organization.

Full Authorization

This person can pick up the student at any time during normal operations.

  • • Typically used for parents and primary caregivers
  • • No additional verification needed beyond photo ID
  • • Can make changes to pickup arrangements
  • • Authorized for field trips and special events

Emergency Only

This person can only pick up the student in emergency situations.

  • • Requires parent/guardian permission for pickup
  • • Used when primary contacts are unavailable
  • • Staff should verify emergency circumstances
  • • Document all emergency pickups with reason

Limited Authorization

This person can pick up the student, but with specific restrictions.

  • • Requires specific pickup notes explaining limitations
  • • Common restrictions: specific days, times, or circumstances
  • • May require additional verification steps
  • • Staff must review pickup notes before releasing student

Example pickup notes: "Only Tuesdays and Thursdays after 3 PM" or "Must have written note from parent for each pickup"

Do Not Release

This person is specifically prohibited from picking up the student.

  • • Critical safety designation for restricted individuals
  • • Often related to custody disputes or restraining orders
  • • Staff must never release student to these contacts
  • • Contact authorities if this person attempts pickup

Adding and Managing Contact Relationships

Step 1: Add the Contact

Before you can associate a contact with students, you must first create the contact in the system:

  • • Navigate to the Contacts page from the main navigation
  • • Click "Add Contact" to create a new contact
  • • Enter the contact's information (name, email, phone, address)
  • • Save the contact - this creates the person in your system

Step 2: Associate Contact with Students

Once a contact exists, you can associate them with one or more students:

  • • From the contact's detail page, click "Associate with Student"
  • • Select the student you want to link to this contact
  • • Choose the appropriate contact type (relationship)
  • • Set the correct pickup authorization level
  • • Add pickup notes if using "Limited Authorization"
  • • Save the association - repeat for additional students as needed

Updating Existing Relationships

You can modify contact relationships without changing the underlying contact information:

  • • Go to the contact's detail page
  • • Find the student association you want to modify
  • • Click the edit button next to the relationship
  • • Modify the contact type or pickup authorization as needed
  • • Update pickup notes for any restrictions
  • • Save changes - other students linked to this contact are unaffected

Managing Multiple Student Associations

One contact can be associated with multiple students with different relationship settings:

  • • Each student-contact relationship has its own contact type and pickup authorization
  • • Useful for families with siblings who may have different pickup arrangements
  • • The same person can be a "Parent/Guardian" for one child and "Emergency Contact" for another
  • • Pickup authorizations can differ between students for the same contact

Security Best Practices

  • ✓ Verify pickup authorization: Always check a contact's authorization level before releasing a student
  • ✓ Read pickup notes: Review any special conditions for "Limited Authorization" contacts
  • ✓ Keep "Do Not Release" lists visible: Ensure all staff know about restricted contacts
  • ✓ Update information regularly: Encourage families to update contact details when circumstances change
  • ✓ Train staff thoroughly: Ensure all team members understand pickup procedures and authorization levels
  • ✓ Document emergencies: Log all emergency pickups with details about circumstances

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