A student's legal guardians may retrieve their child during the school day without warning. Although it is best to avoid disrupting your child's school day, you have the right to pick up your child any time from school. If you do not know your student's teacher, you may be asked to provide identification to prove you are an authorized adult.
Adults who are not the student's legal guardians must be listed on a form in order to pick up the student. Keep your student's pick-up authorization forms current to avoid any mishaps. Schools are legally unable to release a student to a person who is not listed, so keep the file up to date by listing any family members, day care providers or neighbors who might pick up your child from school. Other adults may always drop off your students without being listed.
Students must sign out at the school office to leave early, even if they are with authorized adults. This is a safety precaution and a way for the school to keep track of which students are still in the building. This rule also keeps children from leaving school without a parent. Most elementary schools only let students leave early if they are supervised.
Schools usually keep the pickup and drop-off area separate from the bus loading zone to avoid traffic accidents involving students. Small children are extremely difficult to spot if they are standing near a bus, so this is a common safety concern at schools. If you are picking up a student, make sure you are in the proper location to avoid confusion or potential traffic hazards for the buses.