Free lookup
Who can pick up your child from school? What the biggest districts say
Pick your district to read its own rule, quoted and linked. Most say the same thing: only the people on your list.
Checked October 25, 2026. Your own school’s handbook and office have the final word, and rules change.
| District | Rule | Who may pick up |
|---|---|---|
| New York City Department of Education NY | District-wide rule | Parents/guardians marked ’Pick Up Student’ and up to three emergency contacts on the citywide Emergency Contact Card (the ’blue card’). NYC DOE Emergency Contact Card (updated August 2021), page 1 |
| Los Angeles Unified School District CA | District-wide rule | Parents and people listed on the school emergency card. LAUSD’s guide says this for releasing students in an emergency. LAUSD ’A Parent’s Guide to Emergencies at LAUSD Schools’ (2024, district guide hosted on a school site) |
| Chicago Public Schools IL | District-wide rule | Only designated adults identified on the student’s school emergency form may request and sign out a student (district Early Dismissal Log and procedural guide). CPS Early Dismissal Log and Procedural Guide on Early Dismissal of Students (rev. 07/2020), page 2 |
| Clark County School District NV | District-wide rule | The custodial parent or legal guardian shown on the enrollment card; anyone else only with the custodial parent’s or guardian’s approval. Police and child-abuse investigators with proper ID. CCSD Regulation 5145.1, Release of Students During School Hours (rev. 1993), page 2 |
| Houston Independent School District TX | No rule found | We couldn’t find a district-wide rule in a document we could open. Ask your school office. No source we could open |
| Orange County Public Schools FL | District-wide rule | A parent or legal guardian with custody, or an individual authorized to pick up the student in the registration documentation; anyone else needs the parent’s or guardian’s consent first. OCPS Board Policy JLIB, Student Dismissal Precautions (rev. 5/23/17), linked from ocps.net/board-policies |
| Dallas Independent School District TX | District-wide rule | A parent or otherwise authorized adult signs the student out at the office (elementary and middle school; high school the same). Dallas ISD Student Handbook 2026-2027, ’Leaving Campus’, page 73 |
| Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools NC | Left to each school | No district-wide rule we could read. One school’s example, Quail Hollow MS: the adult must be on the approved list in PowerSchool. Quail Hollow Middle School (CMS) Procedures & Practices page |
| San Diego Unified School District CA | District-wide rule | Parent/guardian, with principal approval; the person taking the child completes a ’Permit to Leave Grounds During School Hours’ (elementary K-6). SDUSD Administrative Procedure 6155, Leaving School Grounds, Elementary K-6 (rev. 7-1-09), page 2 |
| Prince George’s County Public Schools MD | District-wide rule | Custodial parent/legal guardian on the PA 14 registration form, or an authorized Emergency Contact listed on the Emergency Form or registration form. PGCPS Administrative Procedure 5117, Early Release During the School Day |
| School District of Palm Beach County FL | No rule found | We couldn’t find a district-wide rule in a document we could open. Ask your school office. No source we could open |
| Fairfax County Public Schools VA | District-wide rule | People on the student’s emergency care form. The source is a school newsletter (Sangster ES) that describes the rule as division-wide; no FCPS regulation on releasing students was found. FCPS school newsletter via the FCPS GovDelivery account (Sangster ES, 2026), stating the division-wide ID rule |
| Gwinnett County Public Schools GA | Left to each school | No district policy text found (looked for Board policy JBD and the student handbook). School pages read: Kanoheda ES releases only to adults authorized on the Locator Cards; Chattahoochee ES releases to a parent, guardian, or person designated on the enrollment form. Kanoheda Elementary (GCPS) Student Check Out Procedures; also Chattahoochee Elementary School Hours page |
| Wake County Public School System NC | No rule found | We couldn’t find a district-wide rule in a document we could open. Ask your school office. No source we could open |
| Montgomery County Public Schools MD | District-wide rule | The custodial parent/legal guardian and the people they list on the MCPS ’Authorization for Release of Student’ form; if no form is returned, staff may use the Emergency Information Card (Form 565-1). No MCPS regulation on release was found; this is the district’s standard form. MCPS form ’Authorization for Release of Student’ (hosted on Waters Landing ES site); a separate MCPS PCR form covers emergency reunification |
| Miami-Dade County Public Schools FL | District-wide rule | Parents verified in the district’s Student Information System (presumed authorized unless the registering parent says otherwise) and anyone named in the ’Authorization for Release of Student from School’ section of the Emergency Student Data Form, signed by the registering parent. Release only from the main office. M-DCPS Initial Entry Student Registration Procedures Handbook 2023-2024 (rev. 2-13-2024), pages 11-12 |
| Broward County Public Schools FL | District-wide rule | Both parents (unless a court order has revoked parental rights) and the people listed under ’Authorized Release/Contact’ on the district Student Emergency Contact Card (Form 4710). BCPS Student Emergency Contact Card, Form 4710 Rev. 05/25 (in a 2025-26 district forms packet hosted on the Andrews High School site); ID rule from Olsen MS school rules |
| Hillsborough County Public Schools FL | District-wide rule | A parent with legal rights to access the student, anyone listed on the emergency contact card, or a law enforcement or court officer with legal authority; anyone else only with the parent’s/guardian’s permission first. HCPS Student Code of Conduct, ’Early Dismissal (Sign Out)’ (district web page) |
| School District of Philadelphia PA | District-wide rule | A properly identified adult whose access the parent/guardian has approved in the student’s record; people on the emergency pickup card only in an emergency or with parent/guardian approval. Release only in the school office, granted by the principal or designee. SDP Early Release Procedures for School District of Philadelphia Students (effective 9/9/2013, revised 10/13/2017), page 1; district-hosted copy on a school site, read via Internet Archive because philasd.org did not respond |
| Duval County Public Schools FL | No rule found | We couldn’t find a district-wide rule in a document we could open. Ask your school office. No source we could open |
| District | Rule | Who may pick up |
|---|---|---|
| Toronto District School Board (TDSB) ON | District-wide rule | JK to Grade 3: only an individual the parent/guardian has authorized, or as the parent requests. Grades 4-8 leave at the final bell in the way the parent authorized. TDSB Operational Procedure PR707A, Student Attendance, Safe Arrival and Safe Departure (Elementary), rev. Jan 24, 2023 (implements Policy P085) |
| Peel District School Board (PDSB) ON | No rule found | We couldn’t find a district-wide rule in a document we could open. Ask your school office. No source we could open |
| York Region District School Board (YRDSB) ON | Left to each school | Board policy refers to release to ’a parent/guardian or designate’ but leaves the departure protocol to each school. YRDSB Board Policy and Procedure #665.0, Safe Arrivals and Departures - Elementary Students |
| Calgary Board of Education (CBE) AB | Left to each school | No board-wide pick-up rule found. Example school page: anyone other than parents/guardians needs written permission. Connaught School (CBE) Security page; board-level AR 3059 Custody of Children checked (https://www.cbe.ab.ca/documents/50ead04b-f7d4-4f48-b2f2-6e3b6a63a513) |
| Edmonton Public Schools AB | Left to each school | Regulation only says K-6 students may not leave without a parent/guardian’s permission; who may collect them is not set. Principal communicates drop-off/pick-up expectations. Edmonton Public Schools HHFA.AR Supervision of Students (issue date 09/08/2024) |
| Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) ON | District-wide rule | Custody/parenting-time procedure only: both parents equally entitled unless a separation agreement or court order says otherwise. No general pick-up authorization rule found. OCDSB Procedure PR.531.SCO, Decision Making, Parenting Time, and Access to Students by Parents/Guardians (rev. Dec 17, 2024) |
| Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) ON | No rule found | We couldn’t find a district-wide rule in a document we could open. Ask your school office. No source we could open |
| Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board (DPCDSB) ON | District-wide rule | Policy requires prior arrangements or authorization for anyone a student leaves with at dismissal; details are in GAP4007. DPCDSB Policy P-4006 Student Safe Arrival and Dismissal (amended Oct 27, 2025) |
| Centre de services scolaire de Montréal (CSSDM) QC | Left to each school | No CSSDM-wide rule found. Each school’s daycare (service de garde) rules: parents give the identity of every person authorized to pick up, plus the emergency contact. École Louis-Dupire (CSSDM), Règlementation du service de garde |
| Durham District School Board (DDSB) ON | Left to each school | No board departure rule found. School handbook example: parents pick up during the day through office sign-out. Seneca Trail Public School (DDSB) 2023-2024 Agenda/Handbook |
| Halton District School Board (HDSB) ON | No rule found | We couldn’t find a district-wide rule in a document we could open. Ask your school office. No source we could open |
| Surrey School District (SD36) BC | Left to each school | No district regulation found. District Summer Learning page: children released only to people on the approved pick-up list in MyEd BC (summer programs only). Surrey Schools, Summer Learning - Resources for Parents (July 2026 notice; summer programs only) |
| Vancouver School Board (SD39) BC | District-wide rule | Parents, or the person who usually has care and control, as listed on school records. Anyone unknown to the school needs a specific written request from the parent and must show identification. VSB Administrative Procedure 310 Appendix, Student Dismissal Precautions (rev. Sept 24, 2018); AP 322 Disputes Regarding Access to Students (rev. Apr 10, 2019) |
| Burnaby School District (SD41) BC | Left to each school | No daily pick-up procedure found in the AP index. Only emergency closures: release to parent/guardian or designated emergency contact. Burnaby AP 3.35 Emergency Preparedness (site/school closures only) |
| Coquitlam School District (SD43) BC | Left to each school | No daily pick-up rule in AP 310 Student Safety and Supervision. AP 311 has principals send parents emergency pick-up procedures each year. SD43 AP 311 Emergency Response and Planning (last revised Sept 2021); also checked AP 310 and AP 182 |
| Central Okanagan Public Schools (SD23) BC | District-wide rule | Custody/court-order procedure only; no general pick-up authorization rule found. SD23 Administrative Procedure, Access to Students and Student Records (amended March 1, 2018) |
| Winnipeg School Division MB | Left to each school | No division policy found (JHFA Supervision of Students has none). School handbook example: adults must be on the school’s pick-up list. WSD school Parent Information Handbook 2023-2024 (school code 362) |
How to use it
- Choose your district or board to see who it lets pick a child up, what ID it asks for, and how you add someone new.
- “District-wide rule” means the district’s own document sets it. “Left to each school” means it doesn’t, and the entry quotes one school as an example. “No rule found” means we couldn’t read one, so we link nothing.
- Whatever it says, your school’s office has the final word. Ask them how to add a grandparent, a sitter or an older sibling before the day you need it.
None of the 37 districts and boards we read sets a minimum age for the person picking up, and none says outright whether an older sibling may, except Toronto, where a written note can allow it. Some sources are old or are a school’s copy of a district form; the source line says which. This is general information, not legal advice.
FAQ
Questions parents ask
Who can pick up my child from school?
In nearly every large district we read, a parent or guardian, and the people you’ve listed on the school’s emergency or pickup form. Anyone else usually needs a written note from you, and photo ID.
Is there a minimum age to pick up a child from school?
None of the 20 largest US districts or the Canadian boards we read sets one in its own documents. Individual schools sometimes do, often 16 or 18, so ask yours.
Can I call the school to let someone else pick up?
Often not. Prince George’s County in Maryland says verbal permission is never accepted, and Vancouver’s procedure won’t release a child on the strength of a phone call. Send a signed note, or update the list.
Does the person picking up need ID?
Usually yes. Most districts that say anything ask for photo ID, at least from anyone the office doesn’t know.
The list says who may. Someone still has to go.
Kid Pickup gives each pickup one person from that list, and the app sends a nudge when one still has nobody.
Worth reading: Who can pick up my child from school?
Worth reading: Can a sibling pick up from school?
More free tools: Babysitter information sheet · School pickup authorization letter · Weekly “who’s got the kids” schedule · Carpool rotation generator · Default parent quiz · Home-alone age by state and province · Early dismissal note · all tools