For parents hoping to keep tabs on their college-bound kids this fall, schools have this advice: Get it in writing if you can.
Under federal law, colleges are barred from releasing information in a student’s record, including grades or disciplinary actions, without the student’s permission. There are certain exceptions to these rules, including when the school deems there is a health emergency. But parents are often dismayed to find that schools tend to err on the side of preserving a student’s privacy.
The issue of student privacy is getting increased attention in the wake of recent high-profile campus incidents, including the massacre at Virginia Tech in April in which a student killed 32 people. In that case, school officials believed privacy laws prevented them from reaching out to either the gunman’s parents or the authorities, despite noticing signs of disturbing behavior.
One potential approach to the communication issue is something called student privacy waivers. By signing such a document, students waive certain privacy protections so that schools may share their records with parents.
A number of colleges and universities offer privacy waivers for students to sign, in an effort to simplify decisions about when to release information, protect the colleges legally, and help parents get some information about their kids. College-privacy experts say that more schools have begun offering waivers in recent years, prompted by the growing ranks of “helicopter” parents. Today’s generation of hovering parents are accustomed to micro-managing their kids’ lives and they expect schools to cooperate, especially if they’re footing the bill for tuition.
Typically, colleges that have waivers inform parents of them in the fall, either at student orientation or in letters mailed to parents. Administrators explain that parents have no right to their child’s academic record under law, even if they are paying the tuition. Many also explain their philosophy that college is a place for young people to become independent. They then ask parents to have a discussion with their child about the waiver.
“If we ask students to waive their right to privacy, it’s more effective if the conversation starts with the parents and students,” says Ainsley Carry, dean of students at Temple University in Philadelphia, which began offering its waiver online four years ago.
