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Import Parent Contact Information in Minga

Learn how to add parent contact details and confirm what is attached to each student.

Parent contact information can be imported into Minga in two ways: syncing through automatic rostering or uploading a file manually. After import, you can confirm what parent data is attached to a student by checking the student’s edit view or exporting the student list and reviewing parent columns. This workflow is especially useful for Owners and Managers who manage rostering and keep student contact records accurate.

Permission Level Required: Owner | Manager

In this article:

How to Import Parent Contact Information into Minga

Pro Tip: The most reliable way to bring in parent contact information into Minga is through automatic rostering. This way, parent information stays up to date with what is shared in your SIS.

Through Automatic Rostering

Our recommended way to have reliable parent contact information populate in Minga is to have it included in the information brought in during the nightly sync.

If your site has automatic rostering enabled with MingaSync, you can enable parent contact information to populate by turning on the setting under People> Rostering>Roster Students.

Step-by-step Guide to Enabling Rostering Parent Contact Information

  1. Navigate to People>Rostering.

  2. Scroll down until you see Roster Students.

  3. Toggle ON the setting Include primary parent contact info.

  4. Press Save.

  5. During the next overnight sync, parent contact information will populate on the student's profile under the fields Parent email addresses and Parent Phone numbers.

Important: Sharing parent contact information must be enabled in your SIS settings in order for it to populate in Minga.

Through a Manual File Upload

You can import parent information with a manual upload by preparing a CSV/Excel file with the required header fields, importing it in People, and mapping each column to the correct Minga fields.

Step-by-step Guide to Importing Parent Information with a Manual Upload

  1. Ensure your file is set up with the required header fields:

    ○ Student First Name, Student Last Name, Student Email, Student ID Number, Parent Phone, Parent Email.

  2. Navigate to the Manage People tab in People Manager.
    ○ This tab contains import and export actions for user lists.

  3. Click Import List.
    ○ This action opens the import flow where you upload and map your file.

  4. Click the upload icon to upload your CSV or Excel file.
    ○ You will be prompted to select a file from your computer.

  5. Select Student as the Default Role.
    ○ This setting applies the student role to imported records when applicable.

  6. Select Update fields if they already exist.
    ○ This setting updates existing student records with the new parent contact fields from your file.

  7. Check First Row Contains Headers.
    ○ This setting tells Minga to treat the first row as column names instead of data.

  8. Select header fields for each column from the Minga dropdown menu.
    ○ You must map each column to its correct Minga field so the import populates the right data.

  9. Click Import.
    ○ Minga will process the file and apply updates to student records.

Important: You must include a header row so Minga can map columns during import.

Checking Parent Contact Information

You can check parent contact information by opening a student record in People Manager or exporting all student rostering data and reviewing parent columns in bulk.

Step-by-step Guide to Checking a Single Student's Parent Contact Information

  1. Navigate to the People Dashboard.

  2. Search for the Student.
    ○ You can search by name, ID number, or email address.

  3. Click the Edit pencil icon next to the Student.
    ○ This opens the student’s editable profile details.

  4. Check whether the parent information is accurate.
    ○ You can confirm the values shown for parent fields match what you expected to import.

Step-by-step Guide to Checking Parent Info in Bulk

  1. Navigate to the People Dashboard.
    ○ You will see filtering options next to the search field.

  2. Select Student for Filter by Role.
    ○ This limits the list to student records only.

  3. Click Export List.
    ○ Minga downloads a CSV file of the filtered student list.

  4. Open the downloaded CSV and review parent columns.
    ○ You can verify parent details by checking the Parent Email and Parent Phone columns in the exported file.

Suggested File Format for Uploading Parent Contact Information

The formatting of your parent contact file is not strict, but should include the following:

  • Student ID

  • Student Email Address

  • Parent Phone Numer(s)

  • Parent Email Address(es)

Pro Tip: To include multiple parent email addresses or phone numbers, separate each entry by a comma. This way, both parents, or any guardians, can be added to the student's profile.

Troubleshooting

● Issue: Parent contact fields do not appear in a student’s record after an automatic rostering sync.
○ Solution: You can resolve missing parent fields by confirming Include primary parent contact info is enabled.

● Issue: Parent contact fields do not appear in a student’s record when Include primary parent contact info setting is enabled.

○ Solution: Ensure that parent contact information is being shared with Minga in your SIS and is mapped correctly. For example, in Clever, if the contact's relationship is missing or set to "Other" the contact's email address and phone number will not import as we only map to the relationship of "Parent" or "Guardian."

● Issue: Manual import completes, but parent information does not attach to the correct students.
○ Solution: You can resolve mismatched updates by confirming your file includes the correct unique student identifier and your column mapping matches the correct Minga fields.

  1. Open your CSV/Excel file and confirm it includes the required unique identifier for each student.

  2. Re-run the import and verify each column is mapped to the correct field in the Minga dropdown mapping step.

  3. Select Update fields if they already exist before clicking Import.

● Issue: Exported CSV is missing parent columns.
○ Solution: You can resolve missing parent columns by confirming you exported student records and that parent fields exist in your Minga data for those students.

  1. On the People Dashboard, set Filter by Role to Student.

  2. Click Export List again and re-open the new CSV.

  3. Confirm at least one student record has parent contact data populated in the student edit view.

FAQs

Can I import more than one parent per student?

Yes! Minga can support multiple parent contacts per student. In your SIS, ensure that each parent or guardian's contact information is present and enabled to be shared with Minga. You can also manually upload multiple parent contacts per student by separating multiple emails and phone numbers by a comma in the respective columns.

Do I need to import parents as separate users?

No, in order for parent contact information to be connected to the correct student, the setting Include primary parent contact info needs to be enabled in the rostering settings OR the parent contact information must be included in the file upload on the same line as the student to which it is connected.

How do I confirm parent information for all students at once?

You can confirm parent information for all students at once by exporting the student list from the People Dashboard using Export List and reviewing the parent columns in the downloaded CSV.

Resources

Related Articles
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Enable Parent Notifications for Behaviors
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