Education Forms

Parent Contact Info That's Always Current

Parents submit their contact info, select their students, and set communication preferences. Everything links to the right records automatically. No more tracking down outdated phone numbers.

Parent contact info is always out of date

Every school year, the same problems:

Mom's phone number is in PowerSchool, Dad's email is in a Google Sheet, and neither is current

You can't link parents to students without manually matching records every August

Paper forms pile up on the front desk for weeks before anyone enters them

There's an emergency and the number on file is disconnected

Some parents want texts, others want email—but you have no way to track preferences

The photo permission form lives in a filing cabinet, separate from everything digital

The result: missed messages, emergency contact failures, and office staff drowning in data entry.

Parent data that connects to everything

Zero data entry

Parents type their info. It lands in Airtable. Your staff never touches a keyboard.

Auto-linked records

Parents select their kids from a dropdown. The link to student records happens automatically.

Preferences tracked

Email, text, or phone call? English or Spanish? Capture it once, use it all year.

Permissions in one place

Photo release, directory listing, field trip approval—all stored with the contact record.

How to create a parent communication form

Set Up Your Airtable Base

Create a "Parents" table linked to your "Students" table:

Parents Table:

•Parent Name — Single line text

•Email — Email field

•Phone — Phone field

•Alternate Phone — Phone field

•Preferred Contact Method — Single select (Email, Phone, Text)

•Students — Linked record to Students table

•Communication Preferences — Multiple select (Newsletter, Alerts, Events)

•Language Preference — Single select

•Emergency Contact — Checkbox

•Photo Permission — Checkbox

•Last Updated — Last modified time

If you already have a Students table, add a "Parents" linked record field there too.

Connect Filla to Your Base

Click "Connect Airtable" and authorize access to your base. Filla uses OAuth, so you never share your API key.

Select your base and the Parents table. Your fields appear automatically — no manual mapping needed.

Build Your Parent Information Form

Drag fields from the sidebar onto your form:

•Add Parent Name, Email, and Phone fields

•Add the Students linked record field so parents can select their children

•Add Communication Preferences checkboxes

•Add permission fields (photo release, directory inclusion)

Add conditional logic:

•If "Emergency Contact" is checked, show additional emergency details

•If "Preferred Contact Method" is Text, show text messaging opt-in

•If multiple students selected, show grade-level specific questions

Enable Prefilled Updates

Allow parents to update their information easily:

•Send prefilled links with existing contact info pre-populated

•Parents review and update only what's changed

•Use the student's linked record to prefill automatically

Generate unique update links:

•Include parent name and email as prefill parameters

•Send via email at start of school year

•Include in back-to-school packets

Use Data for Communication

Leverage parent data in Airtable:

•Create filtered views by communication preference

•Use Send Grid integration for newsletters to opted-in parents

•Set up emergency notification automations using phone numbers

•Generate contact lists filtered by grade or class

Automations to set up:

•Send confirmation when info is updated

•Alert office when emergency contact changes

•Weekly digest of new/updated parent records

Taking parent communication further

Conditional Logic Examples

Show custody arrangement fields if applicable
Display work schedule for pickup authorization
Show translation preferences based on language selection
Reveal medical authorization fields for emergency contacts

Linked Record Use Cases

Connect parents to multiple students (siblings)
Link to Classes for room parent volunteers
Reference Teachers for direct communication preferences
Connect to Events for volunteer sign-ups

Automation Ideas

Send annual update reminder at start of school year
Notify teachers when parent contact info changes
Auto-generate emergency contact cards for field trips
Sync to school communication platform (Remind, ClassDojo)

Common issues and solutions

"Parents can't find their student in the dropdown"

Ensure Students table has all enrolled students
Check if linked record field shows the correct view
Add search functionality to help find students faster

"Duplicate parent records being created"

Use prefilled links with existing parent ID to update records
Set up automation to flag duplicate email addresses
Create a view to review and merge duplicate records

"Missing permission slips for some students"

Create a view showing students without parent contact
Set up reminder automation for incomplete records
Send targeted outreach to families with missing info

Parent communication form FAQs

Can parents link to multiple students (siblings)?

The linked record field allows selecting multiple students. Mom picks all three kids from the dropdown, and she's connected to all their records.

How do we handle divorced/separated families?

Create separate parent records for each guardian—both linked to the same student. Use conditional logic to show custody fields when relevant.

Can parents update their information later?

Send a prefilled link with their current info. They review, change what's different, and submit. The record updates—no duplicate created.

How do we ensure contact info stays current?

Set up an Airtable automation to send update requests every August. Track a 'Last Updated' field to spot records that haven't been verified in over a year.

Is parent data secure?

Data lives in your Airtable base—you control access and retention. Filla connects via OAuth and never stores copies of submitted data.

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No more tracking down phone numbers

Five forms free, unlimited submissions. Build your parent contact form now—send it out before back-to-school night.