Parent access to report cards for current students who are 18

Bernadette Shilliam

Curious how others handle educational record access by parents for students who turn 18 during the school year - do you have the student sign a waiver granting the parent permission to see report cards, etc.,? Do you change anything in your SMS regarding the parent ability to see those records?

David Gillespie

@Bernadette Shilliam We haven't taken any specific action on this yet. Our enrollment contract covers permissions while they are minors, and I suppose we have “assumed ongoing permission” to share from the student once they turn 18. We do apply the age in some environments; students can give themselves their own permission to leave campus, for example, once they turn 18, even if the parent had previously not given permission. But we have let the issue sit with ongoing access to records unless a student specifically wishes to cut access - a situation we have not yet encountered. Perhaps other schools have had that come up, and then I assume we'd have to remove the “Parent Access” portion of the relationship setup. (NB: we aren't covered by FERPA since we don't accept federal funding - this would be different in FERPA schools)

Hiram Cuevas

@David Gillespie, this is such an interesting thread. I can definitely see the challenges to student privacy once they are 18 or even older if a post-grad year is in place. Yet another example of how K-12 is a bit of a shapeshifter when it comes to legal issues.

Olivia Riddiford

@Bernadette Shilliam We have a school form that all of our seniors get as part of the back to school forms that need to be submitted. This form grants the school the right to share records with their parents.

David Gillespie

@Olivia Riddiford Can students decline to give permission? Or has that just never come up?

Olivia Riddiford

@David Gillespie We have not had that happen yet.