Montana School Bus, Summer School, and Activities — Grandparent Consent

Enrollment was the hard part. Now the school is sending home forms for field trips, sports physicals, bus transportation, and summer school — each one with a signature line that says "Parent/Guardian." You're a grandparent with a caretaker affidavit. Here's where you stand on everyday school permissions in Montana.

What the Educational Affidavit Covers

A valid Caretaker Relative Educational Authorization Affidavit under MCA 20-5-503 grants authority over day-to-day educational decisions. That includes signing permission slips for field trips, participating in parent-teacher conferences, granting consent for athletic physicals, signing co-curricular participation waivers, and authorizing emergency school-administered care.

The affidavit effectively puts you in the same position as a parent for routine school matters. When a form asks for a "parent/guardian" signature on a field trip permission slip or a sports participation waiver, your affidavit provides the legal basis for that signature.

School Bus Transportation

School bus service is not automatically available to every enrolled student. Montana defines an eligible transportee as a public-school pupil who is at least 5 and has not reached age 21 on or before September 10 of the school year (or a qualifying preschool child with a disability aged 3 to 6), is a Montana resident, lives at least 3 miles by the shortest practical route from the nearest operating public elementary school or public high school, whichever applies, or has transportation listed as an IDEA related service, and is considered to reside with a parent or guardian whose legal residence is in the district. District trustees may provide transportation to eligible transportees. Ask the district whether it serves the child's address and what request form it uses.

If the child qualifies under McKinney-Vento and is attending their school of origin rather than the neighborhood school, the district must provide or arrange transportation when requested by a parent or guardian, or by the liaison for an unaccompanied youth.

Summer School and Extended Programs

Summer school, extended school year services, and before/after school programs each have their own consent requirements. Your educational affidavit covers the first school year after you deliver it to the district. If summer school falls within that school year, the affidavit covers your consent.

For summer programs that are administratively separate from the school district — such as a parks and recreation camp or a private summer academy — the educational affidavit may not apply. Those programs set their own enrollment policies. A minor power of attorney under MCA 72-5-103 (if a parent or guardian signed one) provides broader authority that extends beyond the school district context.

Special Situations

School health screenings and glucagon administration. Under MCA 20-5-412(2)–(4), a person who executed an educational or medical caretaker affidavit may designate a trained adult school employee to administer glucagon in an emergency. You must provide the written designation, the glucagon itself, and ensure the employee accepts and completes training. The designation and training documentation must be filed with the district.

Free and reduced-price meals. Children living with caretaker relatives do not automatically qualify for free school meals. Eligibility depends on household income or categorical eligibility — if your household receives SNAP or TANF benefits, the child qualifies for free meals without a separate application through direct certification. Otherwise, you apply based on your household size and income using the standard district application form.

School records and progress reports. The educational affidavit grants you access to the child's cumulative files, grade reports, disciplinary records, and attendance logs under FERPA. You can attend parent-teacher conferences and receive all communications the school would normally send to a parent.

Our Montana School & Medical Consent guide covers the full scope of your educational authority under the affidavit, including how to handle situations where a school questions whether your consent is sufficient for a specific activity or program.

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