August 16th, 2024
Dear Boise School District Parents & Guardians,
Parental Action Required: Due to changes in Idaho law, all parents are encouraged to login to Infinite Campus as soon as possible and update the following information:
The Idaho Legislature has created two new laws that impact your child's experience at school. Both laws necessitate parents taking action by logging into the parent portal of Infinite Campus, and selecting Annual Update to provide consent for:
Boise School District staff to provide health care to your child, including basic first aid
Use of a nickname that you would like your child to go by at school.
For more information on each new law and the resulting changes, please read below.
Senate Bill 1329 Parental rights and medical decision-making
As of July 1, 2024, the Idaho Legislature now requires parental consent before non-life threatening medical services can be provided to minors. This includes:
While the Boise School District is not a health care provider in general, and does not diagnose medical conditions, we do provide services that are covered by the new law.
The statute states that any time an "individual" provides "a service" for the screening, examination, prevention, treatment, cure, care, or relief of any physical or mental health condition, illness, injury, defect, or disease, parental consent must first be received.
Parental consent is not necessary when the provision of care is necessary to prevent death or imminent, irreparable physical injury to the minor child, or after a reasonably diligent effort, a nurse cannot locate or contact a parent or guardian and the minor child's life or health would be seriously endangered by further delay in the furnishing of health care services.
You can provide consent either through Infinite Campus or a written form. For reference, we have provided an example of a completed consent screen (page 3).
House Bill 538 - Student nicknames
As of July 1, 2024, the Idaho Legislature has adopted new legislation that controls the use of student nicknames through Idaho Code 67-5909B. As a result of this new law, the Boise School District has had to erase all nicknames in our student management system. We understand that this may create some confusion and we are committed to doing everything we can to ensure your student's experience at school is welcoming and respectful.
For students whose nickname is derived from their legal name ("Sam" for "Samantha," "Alex" for "Alexander"), counselors and office staff will have the ability to replace the nickname in Infinite Campus, and staff can refer to the student as such.
For a nickname that is not a derivative of your student's legal name, we need your consent. You will need to add the preferred nickname to Infinite Campus, or by submitting this form to your child's school principal or counselor to make the change.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to your child's school principal. Thank you for your ongoing engagement in your child's education. Together, we will continue to provide an exceptional learning environment for all our students.
Sincerely,
Boise School District Administration
