Re: [Phys-L] FERPA; Was: Private schools

[Daniel L Macisaac <danmacisaac@mac.com>]

technically (though incompletely) so -- ALL US colleges/ universities who release info to parents require explicit signed permission from the students (if over 18yo) to do so, and effectively need to regularly collect and build this into the school student database to track.  

Obviously private schools extracting significant sums from parents will want to be doing this.  My school has (state-subsidized) inexpensive tuition and does not.  The default of 'do nothing' is not the same as explicitly erecting obstacles.

I still love FERPA, and my college.  Folk other than I deal with helicopter parents and their pressures.  FERPA gives us  distance from that and allows us to hold students adults to adult accountability, even when parents aren't ready to let go yet.  Growing up is tough, and so is letting go (I know about the latter from two daughters; while working on the former).

Dan MacIsaac, Associate Professor of Physics, SUNY-Buffalo State College
222SciBldg BSC, 1300 Elmwood Ave, Buffalo NY 14222 USA 1-716-878-3802
<macisadl@buffalostate.edu>  <http://PhysicsEd.BuffaloState.edu>
Physics Graduate Coordinator & NSF Investigator for ISEP (MSP) and Noyce

Dan MacIsaac, Associate Professor of Physics, SUNY-Buffalo State College
222SciBldg BSC, 1300 Elmwood Ave, Buffalo NY 14222 USA 1-716-878-3802
<macisadl@buffalostate.edu>  <http://PhysicsEd.BuffaloState.edu>
Physics Graduate Coordinator & NSF Investigator for ISEP (MSP) and Noyce

On Jul 12, 2012, at 3:06 PM, Zeev Wurman wrote:

> As long as the child is a dependent on parental tax return FERPA does not prohibit parents from being given info about their children, even after 18.
>
> Some colleges take a defensive posture and put obstacles in front of such parents. Others don't.
> Sent via BlackBerry
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Daniel L Macisaac <danmacisaac@gmail.com>
> Sender: phys-l-bounces@phydocmarko.homelinux.org
> Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2012 14:33:29 
> To: <Phys-L@Phys-L.org>; <betwys1@sbcglobal.net>
> Reply-To: Phys-L@Phys-L.org
> Subject: Re: [Phys-L] Private schools
>
>
> Dan MacIsaac, Associate Professor of Physics, SUNY-Buffalo State College
> 222SciBldg BSC, 1300 Elmwood Ave, Buffalo NY 14222 USA 1-716-878-3802
> <macisadl@buffalostate.edu>  <http://PhysicsEd.BuffaloState.edu>
> Physics Graduate Coordinator & NSF Investigator for ISEP (MSP) and Noyce
>
> On Jul 12, 2012, at 11:43 AM, brian whatcott wrote:
>
> > On 7/12/2012 7:04 AM, Marty Weiss wrote:
> > > /snip/ until she was sent a letter there was no indication that her son was being expelled.
> > /snip/
> >
> > Which reminds me - I heard something surprising about what parents are told when
> > their offspring sign up for on campus residential accommodation at a Texas A&M school:
> >
> > If you have co signed as guaranteeing your child's  room, that offers you no privileges in hearing
> > about student misdeeds or progress. We are not allowed to share matters of this kind,
> > or even that you son is about to be expelled....
> >
> > Brian W
>
> Yup, it's called FERPA.  Parents get to trust what their kids tell them, 
> and if helicopter parents don't consider their own children trustworthy,
> such parents commence reaping what they have sown.
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FERPA
>
> If parents call me I only ask if their child is 18 years old.    I love FERPA :^).
>
> Dan MacIsaac, Associate Professor of Physics, SUNY-Buffalo State College
> 222SciBldg BSC, 1300 Elmwood Ave, Buffalo NY 14222 USA 1-716-878-3802
> <macisadl@buffalostate.edu>  <http://PhysicsEd.BuffaloState.edu>
> Physics Graduate Coordinator & NSF Investigator for ISEP (MSP) and Noyce
>
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