Document Requests

[For Admins & Managers] Learn how to use Document Requests for the easy exchange of family info and tracking of documentation

Sabrina avatar
Written by Sabrina
Updated over a week ago

Document Requests allow Admins and Managers to request a document from families.

You can also upload a form so families can download, print, and fill it out, then send the completed form back to the program digitally through brightwheel. This allows for the easy exchange of documents with families online, which can help programs and families stay organized and reduce the manual overhead of creating, sending, and keeping track of all of their documents.


Document Request vs. Fillable Document

Brightwheel provides multiple tools for sending and collecting documents from parents digitally. To determine the tool that will best meet the needs of your program, please review the information below on leveraging brightwheel’s Fillable Document, or Document Request features.

Document Request

Request files and documents from families such as immunization records, birth certificates and more. Providers can also add an optional PDF for families to download, complete outside of brightwheel and re-upload in brightwheel.

Fillable Document

Send fillable PDF forms & documents to families that can be filled out digitally without needing to download or complete outside of brightwheel.

See our Fillable Document resource for more information.


Request a New Document

Administrators can either request a document from the parent with explicit instructions or send a document that can be downloaded and completed by the parent, who can then submit the completed document to the school through the same tool.

  1. Log in to brightwheel on the web

  2. Open the Paperwork tab on the purple sidebar menu

  3. On the Forms & Requests tab, click the Create new drop-down menu

  4. Choose the Document Request option

  5. Enter the document's name and notes and click Continue

  6. Add instructions for parents by clicking Edit in this section and saving the instructions

  7. Optionally, drag & drop a PDF to the Downloadable form section or choose the Browse to Upload option
    💡 If you don't need to upload a Document here, no need to complete this step! You can use the 🗑️ icon in the top right to delete this entire section.

  8. Preview your contract, and click Create once complete

  9. Choose to save the contract as a Draft or set Live and click Create


Share a Document Request

  • Share Document Requests with any parent in your program from the Forms & Requests tab on the Paperwork page or from the same tab on an individual student's profile.

  • After sharing, all associated parents receive email notifications to review and complete the request and can access shared requests and forms from the Forms & Requests tab in their student's profile on the brightwheel app or web platform.

  • Document Requests can be resent as needed (e.g., a new year's photo release agreement). Simply follow the steps to share as normal. When resharing, this will send a new request to the parent(s) for submission, creating an additional instance in the student's forms list.
    🚩 If parents are having trouble accessing a request or email invite, avoid resharing, as it adds another version of the form for them to complete. In such cases, share our Completing Forms resource with your parents so they understand how to complete the request.


Parent View - Completing a Document Request

Immediately after the request has been shared with a parent, they will receive an email with the subject line "[School Name] has requested you complete [Document Name] for [Student Name]". This email will contain a link directly to this request. They can also access this request from the Forms & Requests tab in the student's profile from the web and mobile app.

The parent will click Start to view the request which will contain the instruction, any potentially included downloadable PDF, and a section for them to upload the requested document. Once they are ready, they can drag and drop the file in the appropriate section or click browse to upload.


Form Statuses

Any action taken on a form will update the shared form’s status. For form status definitions, please visit our Manage Digital Forms resource.


Review Document Request Submissions

Once a Document Request is submitted, administrators can can approve the submission, or request changes from the guardian.

Please visit our Manage Digital Forms resource for steps on approving, or requesting changes.


Delete a Document Request

Document Requests can be deleted along with individual submissions. Please visit our Manage Digital Forms resource for steps on how to delete.

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