Most schools face the huge obstacle of collecting and managing all of the required student forms by the first day of school. Having vital, up-to-date information for each student is not only important for providing efficient student care, but it also helps schools to be prepared in the event of an emergency, and to reduce liability. Most requirements cover crucial, life-saving information such as allergies, medications, chronic health conditions, and emergency contacts. So why is it that so many schools struggle to collect all of their required forms by the first day of school? Here are some of the common issues schools face:

The Form Submissions Process is not Easy for Parents
A paperless form collection process eliminates the need for schools to print, distribute, track, copy and scan hard copies of forms. For parents, using a cloud-based portal not onlycreates a seamless process for submitting student information, but for returning students, their data will be saved year over year and available for quick online updates.

Multiple students = a ton of paperwork. Often, parents end up submitting one set of forms for multiple children because all of the information is the same. In reality, each student has their own folder so there is a need for individual forms. We get it, there’s a lot of identical information needed for each student, but with a Student Health Record (SHR) solution like Magnus, a parent can simply copy family related data from one student to the other.

There is a Lack of Communication
Whether your school has 10 students or 10,000, it’s easy to lose track of what parents you’ve talked to, what changes need to be made, which siblings have missing requirements for one and not the other, etc. etc. etc. Magnus automated email reminders take the administrative burden off of the school, and regularly notify parents of requirement changes and approaching deadlines. Once the form requirement is met, the family no longer receives email reminders.

Forms are Lost or Misplaced
Sending forms home with students at the end of the school year or mailing packets to each household allows room for forms to be lost or misplaced. Think about it. If you mail the forms, you’re trusting that they won’t get lost among the 506 million pieces of mail processed each day in the US. Or, you hope that the parents have not misplaced the renewal packet and turn everything in by the due date. Now you hope that they don’t get lost en route between the home and school. When schools use an SMR software, all forms and requirements are in the student’s account online – nothing gets misplaced!

The Compliance Policy is not Enforced  
Schools must have a form collection strategy in place and present a united front in order to ensure parent compliance. The plan should outline how to handle non-compliant students, and how to clearly communicate these procedures and consequences to parents. You must highlight how your school’s compliance requirements are in place to protect the wellbeing and safety of their students!

Your school can easily achieve 100% compliance by the 1st day of school by creating a streamlined online process for parents to submit their students’ health information and required forms. An electronic SMR solution, such as Magnus Health, allows schools to securely store digital health forms while providing easy access for both parents and school staff. Our cloud-based software streamlines the form collection process, improves communication, and ensures a high compliance rate at the start of each school year.

Learn more about improving parent compliance using an SMR from the Director of Health at St. Christopher’s school and our Magnus Health Nurse Reviewer here!