Parents who’ve been involved in monitoring their children’s academic progress from kindergarten through high school may be surprised to know that they may not get the same access to their child’s grades and school-related information once their child turns 18.
The Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) covers students once they turn 18, so getting all the information on their academic progress on a college or university campus — or even while they’re still in high school — means a parent will want to talk with their adult child about getting written permission.
Barry Glassman, president of Glassman Wealth Associates, said there are “passionate debates” over whether parents should have access to those records. For those parents who are paying all or a large portion of college expenses, “They’re investing in the child’s education, and they want to know how the child is doing, especially in the first few years,” he said.
Glassman said other parents may want their child to have control over those records as part of their newly minted adulthood.
“It really depends, family by family, and also child by child,” he said.
If parents and the college-bound freshman decide they want to share access to academic records, Glassman said, “There are going to be certain forms that either each school or each state have that allow the parents to access the educational records of that student.”
Glassman said some university and college forms will also include a box to be checked off to access other college-related information.
“You can check off a box that will have noneducational portions, like disciplinary actions and those sorts of things,” he said.
There are other things to consider as well, including access to medical records. This is another area where parents of 18-year-old students should have a discussion.
“Remember, they’re an adult just like any other adult that you may or may not be related to,” Glassman said. At a hospital, “You may have limits as far as what kind of information you can gather” from hospital staff due to HIPPA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which limits access to health information.
“You may want — and your child may want you — to have the ability to make medical decisions,” and that would be possible when a health care proxy or health care power of attorney form is signed, Glassman said.
Another area where parents may be concerned could be in the financial realm. If their child runs into a financial jam, or if there’s a problem with a checking account, a debit or a credit card, “parents need to have a form signed by the 18-year-old in order to have access to the account or in order to execute anything on those accounts,” said Glassman.
Even if an 18-year-old is taking time off before heading to college, Glassman said it’s an important time for the family to discuss who has access to financial, academic or health information, especially in the case of an emergency.
