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Purpose
This article defines the approved workflow for changing a student's preferred name in PowerSchool. Preferred name changes are not made at the site. All requests are submitted to Data Operations and applied centrally so the change carries correctly into downstream systems.
Why the process changed
Downstream applications map identity only from the PowerSchool First Name (FN) and Last Name (LN) fields. They do not read the preferred-name or alias fields.
Affected systems include:
- Clever (roster sync to instructional applications)
- Google Workspace / Google Apps
- Other rostered applications provisioned from the Clever/PowerSchool feed
If the preferred name is entered anywhere other than FN/LN, the student continues to appear under their legal name in the classroom applications they use every day. Placing the preferred name in FN/LN — and preserving the legal name in the legal name fields — resolves the instructional impact while keeping the legal record intact for state reporting, transcripts, and compliance.
Workflow
| Step | Owner | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jim and/or Lindsey (SSS) | Email a preferred name change request to [email protected]. |
| 2 | Robert (Data Operations) | Picks up the ticket and verifies the student record. |
| 3 | Robert (Data Operations) | Moves the student's legal name into the legal name fields. |
| 4 | Robert (Data Operations) | Updates the First Name / Last Name fields to the preferred name. |
| 5 | Robert (Data Operations) | Confirms completion back to the requester. |
What to include in the request
Send one email per student to [email protected] with:
- Student legal first and last name
- Student ID
- School site and grade level
- Preferred first name (and preferred last name, if applicable)
- Effective date, if other than immediate
- Requester name
Requests missing any of these fields will be returned for clarification, which delays the change.
What to expect after the change
- PowerSchool: the preferred name displays in FN/LN; the legal name remains stored in the legal name fields.
- Downstream systems: Clever, Google Workspace, and other rostered applications update on their next scheduled sync — generally within one business day, not instantly.
- Legal name usage: state reporting, transcripts, and other official records continue to pull from the legal name fields.
Notes and boundaries
- Sites and SSS staff do not edit the name fields directly. All changes are processed centrally to protect identity stability and data accuracy.
- Requests originate from SSS (Jim and/or Lindsey). Requests received from other sources will be routed to SSS for confirmation before processing.
- A legal name change (court order, corrected birth certificate, registration correction) is a different process — send those through the registration/records channel, not as a preferred name request.
- Submitting to [email protected] creates a ticket, which preserves the audit trail for the change.
