This FAQ answers common questions about creating, sending, and managing ParentSquare Forms and Permission Slips — including one-time forms, repository templates, digitized paper forms, translations, electronic signatures, reminders, and reports. It also covers questions from parents about how to respond, edit submissions, or check status. The final section includes a best-practice example for using forms to notify families about a recurring event like Saturday Academy.
Admin, Teachers, Group Owners, Room Parents, and anybody with permission to post at Districts and Schools can use forms in a post. Admins and those with individual user permission for Forms can create forms in the Forms Repository.
Before getting started
- Forms must be enabled for your school.
- Admins can contact ParentSquare support to enable Forms.
FAQ
Create and Send Forms
When should I create a form in the Forms Repository versus creating a form as part of a post?
Forms that you may use multiple times can be built in the Forms Repository to save you time each time you need to send it. If the form is a simple, one-time use form, it may be quicker to create it as part of a post.
Can a form be sent to an individual?
Forms are sent as a post and can be sent to the school, grade, classes, or groups. You can create a new group with a small group of users to send to only a few people.
How do I follow up with those who haven't filled out the form?
You can send a reminder to fill out a form.
My due date changed. How do I extend the complete-by deadline?
You can change the complete-by date by clicking the gear icon in the upper right of the post and selecting Edit. Scroll down to the date, choose a new date, and click Save. Editing a post does not send a notification to users. To notify users about edits, use Send Update after saving.
What time is the deadline to submit a form response?
When sending a form, select the date in the field When do you need form completed by. A user cannot submit a form response after this date at 11:59 PM (school's timezone).
What is the character limit for each question?
There is a 2000 character maximum per question on form questions, and that applies across all types (short answer, paragraph, select one, select many, date).
There are two question types that require "possible" answers (select one, select many), and the character limit for those possible answers is 255 for each individual answer.
Can we use ParentSquare to collect sensitive information?
As per our school agreement, schools should not share any PHI with ParentSquare that is subject to HIPAA. However, typically schools do not fall under HIPAA, and it may be okay for them to collect medical information. The data is only visible to district and school admins and to people who have been given permission to view forms.
How do I send multiple forms in a post?
You can only send one form in a post. An alternate solution is to create a post for each form and post without notifications. Then, create a post with links to all the other posts (forms) in the body.
- Create a separate post for each form, and click Do not notify, then Post Now.
- For each form post, copy the link. Click the gear menu, select Share, then Get a link.
- Create a new post that you will send with notifications, and paste the links to each post in the body. When the user clicks a link, it will open the post with the form.
Can I edit a form that has already been sent?
A form can only be edited if no responses have been submitted. If there are responses, the only option is to remove the form and add a new one, but this will result in losing all submitted responses. If you need to remove and add a new form, you can export the CSV or PDF of the forms report first.
How you edit depends on how the form was created and added, either within a post or in the Forms Repository. Follow the steps below depending on how you added the form to your post.
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Create a new form within a post:
- From Home, locate the post, click the gear icon, and select Edit.
- Make your changes and click Save.
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Select an existing form from the Forms Repository:
- From Add Ons, select Forms. Locate the form in the Forms Repository and select Edit from the dropdown menu on the right.
- Make your changes to the form and click Save.
- To update the form in your post, locate the post, click the gear icon, and select Edit.
- Click Remove Form and Save.
- Edit the post again, reselect the (now edited) form, and save.
Can I delete a post with a form attached?
Yes. Remove all the responses first, then you can delete the post.
How many files can be submitted as attachments to a form?
Up to 10 files can be submitted.
Is there a file size limit?
Files attached to a form can be up to 1 GB.
How do I print a form?
- From Home, locate your post.
- Click Print at the bottom of the post.
- The form is now in a printable format. Send the page to the printer.
- Print using mouse: right-click, select Print.
- Print using keyboard: Mac: ⌘+P or Windows: Ctrl+P.
Fill Out Forms
Does a user need to be registered and logged in to complete a form?
Yes. In order for a user to complete and sign a digital form, they need to have a registered account and be logged in. If they have not registered their account, they will be prompted to do so before completing the form.
Can a staff member fill out a form for a parent?
Yes. In the forms report, there is an option for staff to "Fill Form" on behalf of a parent or guardian. For more information, see Fill a Form on Behalf of a Parent.
Staff may want to fill out a form for a parent or guardian to increase accessibility for those with disabilities, to assist non-English-speaking parents or guardians in person or over the phone, or to assist parents or guardians who do not have access to the internet or a device.
Can a form be filled out multiple times for a child?
To allow the form to be filled out multiple times for a child, select the checkbox Allow repeat submissions for each student under Require student information.
How does a parent or guardian fill out a form for more than one child?
An admin can send one form to the whole school, and the parent can fill out one form for each child. After each form is submitted, the parent sees "Complete another form." The children they have already filled out the form for aren't in the dropdown of children to choose from anymore. When the parent has filled out one form for all children, the "Complete another form" wording is still there, but there is a message: "Note: No action required. This form has been filled already." The form appears below that, but the parent cannot click on anything or fill it out.
If I fill out a form for my child, will I be able to see the contact information of the other parent(s) of my child?
You will only be able to see contact information of the other parent(s) if they have made it visible from their My Account page.
Can students fill out forms?
Yes, students can complete forms only if all of the following conditions are met:
- StudentSquare is enabled.
- Students are included as post recipients.
- The form does not require student information.
- If the form requires a signature, it cannot be For giving permission to a child, e.g., Field trip form. (If another option is selected, a student can sign.)
Note: When creating the form, if Require student information is checked, the student will receive the post with a note stating, "No action required. This form is to be filled by parents only." Parents will receive a confirmation notification when a form is completed, which can notify them if a student submits a form without their consent.
If a form was sent as part of a post, will new members of the district be able to fill out the form?
Yes. They won't receive a notification, but they will be able to log into ParentSquare and access the form. You may want to send them a link to the form.
Can guests fill out forms?
Yes, guests can complete forms except when the form requires student ID.
Can non-ParentSquare users fill out a form?
For example, to gather information from a guest who comes into the office.
Yes, if you have enabled Community Groups. Here's how it works:
- Create a Community Group for guests that could also be used to share updates about the school or district.
- New guests would join the community group.
- Create a form for the group with a deadline far in the future and do NOT require student info. If you'd like it to be submitted per visit, then don't require a signature either.
Will parents receive a notification after completing a form?
Yes. If the form requires a signature, parents will receive a confirmation notification after they sign and submit the form.
Does the post author receive a notification when forms are completed?
Yes. The post author receives a daily summary notification that includes all form submissions from that day.
Can a form with payment required be submitted without a payment?
Yes. Even when Require payment with form submission is selected, it is possible that a form may be submitted without payment.
In these cases, the submission appears in the Form Report with a Pending payment status until payment is received or recorded. This allows staff to track form completion while following up on outstanding payments as needed.
Form Reports
Who can delete a form response?
After a form response with student info is submitted, it can be removed by admins, principals, post authors, or the user who submitted the form. A user cannot delete or submit a form response after the deadline has passed. Site admins can only delete form responses for their own site.
How do I delete a form response?
For admins, principals, and post authors:
Watch the animation for how to delete a response, or follow the steps below. These steps apply to a form created at a school. For a district form, see the next question.
- Select Forms Report from the post.
- Click Completed.
- Select the user (in the Signed by column) whose form needs to be removed.
- From the user's account page, click the trash icon to remove the response (check that Forms is highlighted in the left sidebar).
- The user receives an email notification that the form was deleted.
For a user who submitted the form:
Users can remove or delete their own response.
- Go to My Account, select Forms, then click the trash icon to remove the completed form.
How do I delete a district-issued form response?
A school admin or principal is not able to delete a form response for a district-level form via the Forms Report. To delete a form response for a parent at their school, they need to first go to the Data Assistant page (Admin > Parents) and select the name of the parent from this list. This takes them to the User Account page, and from the user's account page, they can click the trash icon to remove the response (check that Forms is highlighted in the left sidebar).
For a form issued by the school, see the previous question.
Is the forms report available on the mobile app?
Yes.
Can I view the forms report at my school for a form sent by the district?
Yes, a school admin with permissions can access and use the forms report for their school.
How are classes listed under the "Student Classes" column on the Forms report chosen?
When Require student information is selected on forms, one of the student's classes will be listed in the form response automatically.
Can the response to a form be edited?
You cannot edit a response. The response can be deleted and then the parent or user can complete it again. See how to delete a response above.
Why didn't my PDF download immediately when I clicked Print? How long will it take?
For forms with more than 200 responses, Print generates the PDF in the background to improve performance. Timing may vary depending on report size and system activity, and you'll receive an email with a download link to the PDF once it's ready.
I clicked Print and it downloaded right away. Why didn't I get an email?
If the PDF was generated recently, ParentSquare may automatically download the most recent PDF instead of creating a new one. In that case, you may not receive a separate email.
Why is my CSV export taking longer than usual, and where do I get the download link?
For very large forms, CSV generation may take longer due to the size of the report. Forms with more than 3,000 responses will generate the CSV report in the background, and ParentSquare will send an email to the address associated with your account when it's ready. The email includes a download link to the report.
Best Practices
Example: Notify Families About a Recurring Event (Saturday Academy)
If your district or school provides Saturday Academy or Saturday School, here is a way you can use ParentSquare to help automate the notifications.
Begin by creating a group. From Admin, select Groups in the left sidebar. Create a group by selection or by uploading a CSV file with one column of student ID numbers.
Use a Post to Notify Families
If you need families to complete a form, you can use a post and include:
- An overview of the Saturday program, including date and time.
- A form for parents to complete with any needed information.
The person who posts the message will be able to see completed forms and export a file for their records. To send out a reminder, use the message library in notifications to make this process easy. Take a look at the Message Library help article.
Example Post
Notification Samples
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Email to Users
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Email After User Completes the Form
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