Parent-Child Linking: connecting parents to their children's accounts

Why linking matters

In School Vault, parents and children are separate accounts. A parent account (with the Parent or Guardian role) does not automatically have access to any child's data. The link is the connection between them. Until a parent is linked to a child, they will see an empty dashboard when they log in, and will receive no notifications about that child.

A child can be linked to multiple parents or guardians (for example, mother, father, and a grandmother who is a secondary contact). One of these links is designated Primary — the primary parent receives the most important notifications and is the default contact for the child.

Viewing existing links

1. Go to Parent-Child Linking from the main sidebar.
2. The stats row shows the total count of Parents / Guardians, Children, and Active Links in the system.
3. The Existing Links table lists every parent-child relationship: the parent's name and email, the child's name, the relationship type, and whether this parent is the Primary contact.

Creating a new link

1. Click Link Parent to Child (top right).
2. In the Create Parent-Child Link dialog:
   • Search for and select the parent from the dropdown. The search field accepts part of the parent's name or email address.
   • Search for and select the child from the child dropdown.
   • Set the Relationship (Father, Mother, Guardian, or another relationship type from the dropdown).
3. Click Link.
4. The new link appears in the Existing Links table. If this is the child's first link, it is automatically set as Primary.

Setting the primary parent

When a child has multiple linked parents, only one shows the Primary badge in the table. The other links show a dash (—) in the Primary column.

To change which parent is primary, click the row for the parent you want to make primary and use the "Set as Primary" action. Primary status means that parent receives the default notification flow for the child — report cards, daily reports, and urgent alerts.

Removing a link

1. Find the link in the Existing Links table.
2. Click Unlink.
3. Confirm the removal. The parent immediately loses access to that child's data in their portal.

Checking link completeness

The stats row shows the number of Children versus Active Links. If there are more children than active links, some students have no linked parent. Those students' families will not receive any notifications and will not be able to access the parent portal for that child. Use the stats row as a quick audit at the start of each term.

Common mistakes

• Inviting a parent to School Vault but not creating the link — the parent logs in and sees nothing, generating a support call. Always complete the link after inviting a parent.
• Removing a link instead of deactivating an account when a family leaves — the parent account stays active and can still log in. Unlink the child first, then deactivate the parent account.
• Linking the wrong parent to a child because two families have similar names — use the email address search in the dialog to confirm you are selecting the right person.