How to Enroll a Child in Maryland School and See a Doctor This Week Without a Court Order

If a child just arrived in your home — maybe overnight, maybe yesterday — and you need to get them into school and to a doctor before the week is out, here's the short answer: Maryland law lets a qualifying relative do both without a court order, without an attorney, and without the parent's signature when no conflicting court order or parental objection applies. You need two statutory affidavits — one for school under Education § 7-101(c) and one for healthcare under Health-General § 20-105 — and you can prepare and submit both within a day or two if you know where to file them.

This guide assumes the most common kinship care scenario: you are a grandparent, aunt, uncle, or other relative who has taken in a child because a parent is dealing with addiction, incarceration, serious illness, death, abandonment, or an assignment to active uniformed services duty. The parent is not available to sign paperwork. You don't have a court order and you don't have time to get one.

Day 1: Prepare Both Affidavits

You need two separate documents. They look similar but they go to different places and have different filing rules.

For school enrollment — the Education § 7-101(c) affidavit. Some Maryland counties use their own version: Montgomery County uses Form 334-17, Frederick County uses Regulation Form 80, Baltimore City has its own enrollment intake packet. If your county doesn't have a specific kinship care form, the statutory affidavit language from Education § 7-101(c) works statewide. Call your school district's pupil services office or check their website for their specific form.

For medical and dental consent — Form DHS/SSA/554, the healthcare consent affidavit under Health-General § 20-105. This is a statewide form published by the Maryland Department of Human Services.

On both forms, you'll attest under penalty of perjury to the child's identity and date of birth, your relationship to the child, that you provide 24/7 care, and which of the six qualifying hardships applies. You sign them. No parent signature is needed. The statutory forms call for a sworn affirmation and signature, not notarization.

Day 1 or 2: File the School Affidavit

Bring the completed school affidavit, along with proof of your address (a utility bill, lease, or property tax bill), to the school assigned to your attendance zone. Bring the child's birth certificate if available — the school cannot refuse enrollment while you obtain one — and immunization records (Form MDH 896). If immunization proof is missing, ask about temporary admission and provide evidence of an appointment with a health care provider or local health department within 20 calendar days to reconstruct records, receive required immunizations, or document immunity. For public Pre-K, kindergarten, or first grade, bring blood lead documentation (Form MDH 4620) if the child currently lives or has previously lived in an at-risk area.

Maryland law requires the school to enroll the child immediately upon submission of the sworn affidavit, even if the school is still reviewing your hardship documentation. They cannot make the child wait outside school while that paperwork is processed. COMAR 13A.08.05.06 requires hardship documentation with the affidavit or within 30 calendar days; if it is not provided, the receiving agency may withdraw the child or charge tuition. If the prior school's academic records haven't arrived yet, the school must admit the student and request those records directly.

If the registrar says they need a court order or the parent's signature, that contradicts Education § 7-101(c). Ask to speak with the pupil personnel worker or enrollment supervisor. Request a written notice of refusal if they still decline. The School and Medical Consent for Grandparents and Relatives in Maryland guide includes the four-step process for handling this.

Day 2 or 3: File the Healthcare Affidavit (Two Places)

This is the step that trips up most caregivers. The healthcare affidavit has a dual-filing requirement that the school affidavit doesn't:

1. File with the Maryland Department of Human Services — send the completed Form DHS/SSA/554 to the DHS Social Services Administration. Health-General § 20-105 makes this filing part of the authorization, so a provider copy does not replace it.

2. Give a copy to the treating medical provider — the pediatrician, dentist, urgent care center, or mental health provider you're taking the child to. They keep it on file as the legal authorization for your consent.

Once the affidavit is filed with DHS/SSA and a copy is given to the treating provider, you can consent to health care within the law's scope, subject to any conflicting court order or parental objection. The affidavit covers routine and preventive care, dental care, vaccinations, testing, prescriptions, specialist consultations, outpatient surgical procedures, and emergency care.

What You Need to Bring

Here's a practical checklist for both the school and the doctor's office:

For the school:

• Completed school enrollment affidavit (county form or state statutory version)
• Proof of your address (utility bill, lease, tax bill)
• Child's birth certificate (or sworn affidavit of birth if the certificate is unavailable)
• Immunization records (Form MDH 896); if proof is missing, provide evidence of an appointment within 20 calendar days for temporary admission
• Blood lead documentation (Form MDH 4620) for public Pre-K, kindergarten, or first grade if the child lives or has lived in an at-risk area
• Previous school records if available (the school will request them if not)

For the doctor or dentist:

• Completed Form DHS/SSA/554 (signed)
• Proof that you filed a copy with DHS
• Any medical records you have for the child
• The child's insurance information (if they have coverage — they may qualify for Maryland Children's Health Program if not)

What If You're Not a Blood Relative?

Maryland's statutory affidavits only apply to adults related to the child by blood or marriage within the fifth degree of consanguinity — grandparents, aunts, uncles, great-aunts, great-uncles, first cousins, and others in that lineage. If you're a godparent, family friend, or neighbor who took in the child, the affidavits don't cover you.

Your fastest pathway for school enrollment may be the McKinney-Vento Act if the child lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence or qualifies as an unaccompanied youth. Under federal law (42 U.S.C. § 11431), an eligible child must be enrolled immediately. Contact your school district's homeless liaison — every Maryland district is required to have one. McKinney-Vento doesn't require kinship status, a court order, or a parent's signature.

For medical consent, the situation is harder without the affidavit. You may need to pursue standby guardianship (if the parent can designate you in advance) or file a formal guardianship petition in Circuit Court. Maryland law permits emergency treatment without prior consent when a physician determines that immediate treatment is necessary to prevent substantial risk of death, serious physical harm, or severe impairment of the child's health, and delaying treatment to obtain consent would adversely affect the child's life or health. Routine care requires documented authority.

Who This Is For

• A grandparent or relative who just took in a child and needs school enrollment and a doctor's appointment this week
• A caregiver who assumed they needed a court order and just learned they might not
• A relative who has the child in their home right now and needs a practical day-by-day plan
• A family member helping an older caregiver navigate the paperwork and phone calls

Who This Is NOT For

• Caregivers who have time to plan and want to understand all their options before acting — a broader comparison of pathways may be more useful
• Non-relative caregivers who need alternatives to the statutory affidavit
• Caregivers in a custody dispute where another family member is contesting the arrangement

The Week After: What Comes Next

Once the child is enrolled and has seen a doctor, the immediate crisis is over. But there are follow-up steps that matter:

Annual renewal. The school affidavit must be re-filed every year, at least two weeks before the start of the school year, under COMAR 13A.08.05. The healthcare affidavit must also be filed annually with DHS/SSA. For either affidavit, report changes in the care arrangement or hardship in writing within 30 days.

Supporting documentation. The school district may verify the hardship — for example, with a death certificate, incarceration record, treatment provider statement, military orders, or, for abandonment, a notarized statement from a legal guardian or verification from court or social services. Submit the supporting documentation with the affidavit or within 30 calendar days; otherwise the receiving agency may withdraw the child from school or charge tuition.

Financial help. Informal kinship caregivers in Maryland may qualify for Temporary Cash Assistance, SNAP, WIC, and Medicaid for the child through the Maryland Children's Health Program. Contact your local Department of Social Services.

When to consider court. If the parent reappears and objects or you need authority beyond school and medical consent, a formal court process may be needed. Kinship foster care subsidies have separate eligibility requirements; an informal affidavit or court guardianship alone does not establish eligibility. The affidavit is a bridge — it gets the child stable now while you assess whether you need something more permanent.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a school refuse to enroll a child while reviewing the kinship affidavit?

No. Under Education § 7-101, a Maryland school must enroll the child immediately upon submission of the sworn affidavit. Hardship documentation can be reviewed after enrollment. If immunization proof is missing, the separate temporary-admission rule requires evidence of a provider or local health department appointment within 20 calendar days.

Do I need a lawyer to file the kinship care affidavits?

No. The affidavits are designed for caregivers to complete themselves. You sign under penalty of perjury — no attorney is required, no court hearing is needed, and the forms are free from Maryland state agencies. The School and Medical Consent for Grandparents and Relatives in Maryland guide walks you through both affidavits, the dual-filing process, and the county-specific variations.

What if the child needs to see a doctor before the DHS filing is processed?

Submit the Form DHS/SSA/554 affidavit to DHS/SSA and give a copy to the treating provider. Health-General § 20-105 makes both steps part of the authorization; the provider copy does not replace the DHS/SSA filing. In an emergency, treatment without prior consent is allowed when a physician determines immediate treatment is necessary to prevent substantial risk of death, serious physical harm, or severe impairment of the child's health, and delay to obtain consent would adversely affect the child's life or health.

Can I enroll the child in any school in Maryland?

The child must enroll in the school assigned to your attendance zone — the school that serves the address where you live with the child. This is the residency rule under Education § 7-101(b). The affidavit establishes the child's educational domicile at your address.

What if I don't have the child's birth certificate or immunization records?

The school must still enroll the child immediately. You can provide a sworn affidavit of birth in place of a birth certificate. For missing immunization records, the school can request them from the prior school; to qualify for temporary admission while proof is missing, provide evidence of a health care provider or local health department appointment within 20 calendar days to reconstruct the record, receive required immunizations, or document immunity.

See more Maryland guides →