Attaching Emergency Contact to Students

A student's emergency contact is the person you contact if there is an emergency involving the student. This contact is often the student's parent, guardian, kin, or close friend of the family. When creating an emergency contact, you only need to add the contact's name and phone number. However, Skyward recommends adding contact information, such as a relationship to the student, as well. You can create multiple emergency contacts for a student.

Adding an emergency contact to a Student Profile is optional. All emergency contacts are specific to the student.

Scroll past the video to access the step-by-step instructions.

Audio Transcript

A student's emergency contact is the person you contact if there is an emergency involving the student. We can begin by heading to the Student Profile within the Student module. From here, we can select the Emergency sub-tab within the General tab group. Here we see a list of existing emergency contacts for the student as well as any health provider details. We can go ahead and add a new emergency contact. Under the Emergency Contact Details heading, we'll enter the last and first name of the individual who'll be added as an emergency contact. Since we do not see the name that we've entered within the Search Results, we can select Add New Name & Emergency Contact. Here, we can enter in the demographic details for the emergency contact that we are adding. We can check the box for Legal Name is One Name if this emergency contact only has one name. If applicable, we can enter in the title for this emergency contact. The Last Name and First Name fields default based on the information we entered on the previous screen. We also have the option to enter in the Middle Name, Name Suffix, Birth Date, and Gender if we would like. We can also keep track of the Place of Employment and Occupation of the emergency contact. For our example, we’ll leave these fields blank. Under the Emergency Contact Details heading, we’ll enter the contact’s phone number. If there is an extension associated with this phone number, we can enter it here.  Next, we will select what type of phone this phone number is attached to. We can also check the box for International if this is an international phone. Next, we can select the relationship that this emergency contact has to our student. For our example, we’ll choose Grandparent as the relationship. We can check the box for Allow Student Pickup if we would like to allow this emergency contact to pick the student up from school. By checking this box, we can then enter the driver's license number if we would like. If applicable, we can enter in additional comments. By checking the box for Primary we can contact this individual first during an emergency if we’d like. Let’s click save. We can see the emergency contact we just added to this student now displays. Now that you know how to attach emergency contacts to students, you can easily access the emergency contacts for your students.

A student's emergency contact is the person you contact if there is an emergency involving the student. We can begin by heading to the Student Profile within the Student module. From here, we can select the Emergency sub-tab within the General tab group. Here we see a list of existing emergency contacts for the student as well as any health provider details. We can go ahead and add a new emergency contact. Under the Emergency Contact Details heading, we'll enter the last and first name of the individual who'll be added as an emergency contact. Since we do not see the name that we've entered within the Search Results, we can select Add New Name & Emergency Contact. Here, we can enter in the demographic details for the emergency contact that we are adding. We can check the box for Legal Name is One Name if this emergency contact only has one name. If applicable, we can enter in the title for this emergency contact. The Last Name and First Name fields default based on the information we entered on the previous screen. We also have the option to enter in the Middle Name, Name Suffix, Birth Date, and Gender if we would like. We can also keep track of the Place of Employment and Occupation of the emergency contact. For our example, we’ll leave these fields blank. Under the Emergency Contact Details heading, we’ll enter the contact’s phone number. If there is an extension associated with this phone number, we can enter it here.  Next, we will select what type of phone this phone number is attached to. We can also check the box for International if this is an international phone. Next, we can select the relationship that this emergency contact has to our student. For our example, we’ll choose Grandparent as the relationship. We can check the box for Allow Student Pickup if we would like to allow this emergency contact to pick the student up from school. By checking this box, we can then enter the driver's license number if we would like. If applicable, we can enter in additional comments. By checking the box for Primary we can contact this individual first during an emergency if we’d like. Let’s click save. We can see the emergency contact we just added to this student now displays. Now that you know how to attach emergency contacts to students, you can easily access the emergency contacts for your students.



  1. Select Menu > Administrative Access > Student.
  2. Select Student Profile under Features.

    You see the Student Profile for the first student listed alphabetically in the entity or for the last student whose profile you had open.

  3. Verify you are in the correct Entity and school year by checking the information at the top left of the screen.
  4. Begin entering the student's name in the Student search field near the top left of the screen.

    Students with similar names appear in a drop-down list. If necessary, continue entering more of the student's name until it appears in the list.

  5. Select the student from the drop-down list.

    You see the Student Profile for the student you selected.

  6. Select the General tab group at the left of the screen.
  7. Select the Emergency sub-tab.

    You see existing emergency contacts for the student, as well as health provider information.

  8. Under the Emergency Contacts heading, click Add Emergency Contact near the top right of the screen.

    You see the Add Emergency Contact screen.

  9. Complete the appropriate fields.

    Required fields are identified with an asterisk. You must complete required fields before you can save your work.

    1. Enter the Last Name of the emergency contact.

      Under the Search Results heading, the list displays names that match what you are entering. As you enter more letters, the list narrows until the last name of the emergency contact you wish to add displays.

    2. Enter the First Name of the emergency contact.

      The search results below list names that match what you are entering. As you enter more letters, the list narrows until the first name of the emergency contact you wish to add displays.

    3. Enter the Middle Name of the emergency contact if appropriate.

      The search results below list names that match what you are entering. As you enter more letters, the list narrows until the middle name of the emergency contact you wish to add displays.

    4. Enter the Name Suffix or click the Down Arrow icon to choose from the drop-down list, if appropriate.
    5. Enter the Date of Birth of the emergency contact or click the Calendar 31 icon to choose a date using the calendar, if appropriate.
    6. Choose the appropriate Gender for the emergency contact from the drop-down list.
    7. Enter the Phone Number of the emergency contact if appropriate.
  10. Choose the appropriate option to continue.
    Option Description
    Add New Name & Emergency Contact This option is located near the top left of the screen. You should choose this option if you did not find a matching name under the Search Results heading. The Add Emergency Contact screen populates with the information you entered on the previous screen. Continue to the next step.
    Use as Emergency Contact This option is located to the left of the name under the Search Results heading. You should choose this option if you find an existing name and you want to identify the person as the student's emergency contact. This only displays if the name exists in the database and is used as something other than an emergency contact. For example, a name could be listed as the student's guardian but must be added as the student's emergency contact, as well. Continue to the next step.
    Current Contact This option is located to the left of the name under the Search Results heading and indicates the individual is currently the student's emergency contact. If you select this option, you see the Emergency sub-tab of the Student Profile in a new browser tab, which displays existing emergency contacts for the student. You can then click the Open icon to the left of the emergency contact to view or update the contact information. No further steps are required.
  11. Complete the appropriate fields.

    Required fields are identified with an asterisk. You must complete required fields before you can save your work.

    1. Optional: Verify the Template near the top right of the screen or click the Chevron down icon to choose the correct template from the drop-down list.

      If the workflow template you wish to use does not exist, you can create a new Workflow Template. If necessary, you can click Template near the top right of the screen to expand the workflow template area.

    2. Under the Demographic Details heading, check the box for Legal Name is One Name if appropriate.

      If you selected the Use as Emergency Contact option, this field is disabled and cannot be modified.

      When checked, the Last Name, First Name, and Middle Name fields no longer display and the Name field displays.

    3. Enter the Title of the emergency contact or click the Down Arrow icon to choose from the drop-down list, if appropriate.

      If you selected the Use as Emergency Contact option, this field is disabled and cannot be modified.

      If you checked the box for Legal Name is One Name, continue to the next sub-step.

      If you did not check the box for Legal Name is One Name, skip to sub-step e.

    4. Enter the Name of the emergency contact.

      Skip to sub-step h.

    5. Verify the Last Name of the emergency contact or enter the correct name if necessary.

      This field defaults based on the information entered on the previous screen. If you selected the Use as Emergency Contact option, this field is disabled and cannot be modified.

    6. Verify the First Name of the emergency contact or enter the correct name if necessary.

      This field defaults based on the information entered on the previous screen. If you selected the Use as Emergency Contact option, this field is disabled and cannot be modified.

    7. Verify the Middle Name of the emergency contact or enter the correct name if necessary.

      This field defaults based on the information entered on the previous screen. If you selected the Use as Emergency Contact option, this field is disabled and cannot be modified.

    8. Verify the Name Suffix or enter the correct suffix if necessary.

      This field defaults based on the information entered on the previous screen. If you selected the Use as Emergency Contact option, this field is disabled and cannot be modified.

    9. Verify the Birth Date or enter the correct date if necessary.

      This field defaults based on the information entered on the previous screen. If you selected the Use as Emergency Contact option, this field is disabled and cannot be modified.

    10. Verify the Gender or choose the correct gender from the drop-down list if necessary.

      This field defaults based on the information entered on the previous screen. If you selected the Use as Emergency Contact option, this field is disabled and cannot be modified.

    11. Enter a Place of Employment or click the Down Arrow icon to choose from the drop-down list, if appropriate.
    12. Enter an Occupation or click the Down Arrow icon to choose from the drop-down list, if appropriate.
    13. Under the Emergency Contact Details heading, verify the Phone Number for the emergency contact or enter the correct number if necessary.

      If you selected a contact that already exists in the system, this field may default but can be modified if necessary.

    14. Enter the Extension for the emergency contact's phone number if appropriate.
    15. Enter the Phone Type or click the Down Arrow icon to choose from the drop-down list, if appropriate.
    16. Check the box for International if appropriate.

      Checking this box removes hyphens from the phone number.

    17. Enter the Relationship or click the Down Arrow icon to choose from the drop-down list, if appropriate.
    18. Check the box for Allow Student Pickup if appropriate.

      When checked, the Driver's License Number field displays. Continue to the next sub-step.

      If you did not check the box, skip to sub-step t.

    19. Enter the emergency contact's Driver's License Number if appropriate.
    20. Enter a Comment about the emergency contact if appropriate.
    21. Check the box for Primary if you wish to indicate this person should be contacted first in an emergency.

      This option only displays if the student has existing emergency contacts.

  12. Choose one of the options near the top left of the screen to save your work.
    OptionDescription
    Save & Add Another Saves the emergency contact and the Add Emergency Contact screen refreshes so you can add another.
    Save Saves the emergency contact and you return to the Emergency sub-tab of the Student Profile.

    If necessary, you can click Reorder Emergency Contacts near the right of the screen to place the emergency contacts in the appropriate order. The order the emergency contacts are listed is the order in which they should be contacted in an emergency, meaning that the first name displayed is the primary emergency contact for the student.