Parental Consents

Examples of routine health services that may be provided with your consent acknowledged on the School Health-Related Services Parental Consent Form:

Physical health services:

• First aid and injury evaluation
• Nursing assessments and/or care of symptoms of illness or injury while at school
• Routine health screenings- vision, hearing, and spinal screenings in children
• Monitoring of chronic health conditions (e.g., diabetes, seizures, asthma)
• Communicable disease or condition symptom evaluation, exclusion and readmission
• Administration of medications (upon written parent request and with a physician’s order)
• Health counseling and education (nutrition, hygiene, disease prevention, general wellness)
• Coordination of health services
• Special procedures (upon written parent request and with a physician’s order)

Parental consent is not required for these services:

• Medical emergencies or those required by law

• Administration of medications
• Scheduled nursing procedures

These services are provided by school nurses, health aides, athletic trainers, administrators, teachers, and other trained staff employed by TISD who are charged with supervising children.

In a serious emergency, staff will still act to protect your child’s safety and will contact you immediately.

Yes. All health records are protected under state and federal privacy laws.

Examples of services by school counselors or mental health staff that may be provided with parental consent are:

• Short-term individual or small group counseling for emotional or behavioral support
• Social-emotional learning
• Support during emotional distress or crisis

To learn more about our counseling services, visit the Counseling Services page.

No. Parental consent is not required for school counselors to provide academic services. Counselors will continue to support students with:

• Course selection and scheduling
• College and career readiness planning
• Academic goal setting and monitoring
• General school success strategies

Note: This law (SB12) only applies to mental and behavioral health-related counseling services, not academic counseling.

Parental consent is not required for these services:

• Medical emergencies or those required by law including:
  • Immediate help if a student is at risk of self-harm or experiencing suicidal thoughts
  • Support for grief after a death or traumatic event
  • Situations involving suspected abuse or neglect (required by law to report)
  • Other urgent matters required by state or federal law

Note: Under Texas law, a child may also consent to their own counseling in specific cases, including:

• Suicide prevention
• Chemical addiction or dependency
• Sexual, physical, or emotional abuse

School counselors do not provide some services and would require separate parental consent through outside providers, such as:

• Medical or psychological diagnoses
• Long-term therapy, counseling, or treatment

Note: TISD counseling staff do not provide medical or psychological diagnoses, long-term therapy, or treatment. When students need these types of services, families are connected with community agencies that require their own parental consent.

• School Counselors and Responsive Services Counselors provide short-term, school-based counseling and crisis support.
• Teachers and staff lead short SEL classroom activities that help students feel safe, connected, and ready to learn. These activities are not counseling or therapy.

In a serious emergency, staff will still act to protect your child’s safety and will contact you immediately.

Yes. All health records are protected under state and federal privacy laws.

SB12 adds Education Code §33.0815. Key points:

• Districts may authorize or sponsor student clubs.
• Districts may not authorize or sponsor a student club based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
• Before a student participates in any authorized or sponsored club, the district must have written parental consent.

SB12 requires written parent consent for any club or organization the district authorizes or sponsors. 

Districts may choose to use a universal consent process each year for clarity and consistency, but SB12’s consent mandate is tied to authorized/sponsored clubs.

Students will not be allowed to participate in a club/organization without a signed parent permission form.

Students will not be allowed to participate in a CTSO without a signed parent consent form.