Who this is for: Parents and guardians who want to add a student to their own Bound family dashboard when the student is already part of another family in Bound — common for families with two households.
If your student is already part of another family in Bound — for example, they were added by their other parent or guardian — you can still add them to your own family dashboard. Bound supports students belonging to multiple families, so each parent can see their shared student, register them for activities, and complete tasks from their own account.
Note: Your personal and payment information stays private to your own family. Adding a shared student never shows the other family your details — the only thing the two families share is the student.
Before You Start
Here's what you'll need to add your student to a second family:
A Bound family account. You'll add the student from your own Family Dashboard.
Your student's Student ID from their school. If you don't know it, contact the school's front office or athletic/activities office and they can look it up for you.
Approval to connect. Because your student already belongs to another family, you send an access request instead of adding them right away (covered below).
How to Add Your Student to Your Family (Web Browser)
Follow these steps to add your student to your family dashboard when they already belong to another family in Bound.
Go to your Bound Family Dashboard and, click Add Student in the top right of the 'Quick Actions' bar.
Click the Add New Student button in the pop up.
Fill out the required fields with your student's information. Click Next when completed.
Choose the School/Organization that this student is a part of.
Enter your student's Student ID number and click Find Student to bring up the student with the matching ID. This will allow you to find your student that is already in the Bound system.
Important: Don't click 'Create New Student Record' if your student already attends the school — that creates a duplicate student instead of connecting you to the one the school and the other family already use. If you can't find your student, contact the school.
6. Verify the student that comes up is your student, then click Next.
7. On the confirmation page, check the certification box. If you'd like your student to have their own login to the family portal, check Send an invite to my student as well. Then click Add to Family to finish.
What If My Student Shows as Locked with 'Request Access'? (Web Browser)
When you search for your student, their record may show as locked with Request Access next to their name instead of being selectable. This happens for one of two reasons:
Your student already belongs to another family: another parent or guardian already added them, so your request needs approval before you can connect too. This protects your student's privacy, so only the right people can connect to them.
The school uploaded a physical or other document first: the school added a document such as a physical before any family claimed your student. The record stays locked to protect health details until a parent or guardian verifies they're the student's family.
Request Access to a Student in Another Family
Click Request Access next to your student's name.
Your request goes to the school for approval.
If the school requires parent or guardian approval first, the other family's parent or guardian approves it, and then the school gives final approval.
Once your request is approved, come back and finish adding your student.
If you see a message to contact the school office, contact your student's school directly to finish connecting.
Tip: If you work at the school, access requests go to the addresses in Admin Approval Emails. See Set up Admin Approval Emails.
Ask the School for an Invite
If no family has claimed your student yet, Request Access has no one to send your request to. Contact your student's school and ask them to send you an invitation to claim your student.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if I don't know my student's Student ID?
Contact your student's school — the front office or athletic/activities office can look it up for you. The Student ID is required so Bound connects you to the exact student record the school already uses.
Will the other parent or family see my information?
No. Your personal information, payment details, and account activity stay private to your own family. The only thing both families share is the student — each family manages the student from their own separate dashboard.
Do I need approval to add my student?
Yes. Because your student already belongs to another family, you send an access request instead of adding them right away. The school approves the request. If the school requires parent or guardian approval first, the other family's parent or guardian approves it before the school does.
Can both families register and pay for the same student?
Yes. Once your student is on both family dashboards, either family can register the student for activities and complete tasks like forms and payments from their own account.
Does my student get their own login?
Optionally, yes. On the final confirmation step, check 'Send an invite to my student' and Bound will email your student an invitation to access the family portal with their own account.
My student's school doesn't come up when I search — what should I do?
Try searching by the school's full name — the search covers all states. If the school still doesn't appear, it may not use Bound for registration yet, so check with the school directly.