January 2006

Briefly speaking: Confidentiality of records

State and federal laws protect the privacy of student records. (Photo illustration by Karin Higgins/UC Davis.)

As a parent, you may have questions or concerns about your student's grades, transcripts, medical records or even the details of the bills you may be paying. Jeanne Wilson, director of Student Judicial Affairs, explains what information you can -- and cannot -- get about your student directly from the campus.

The first step should always be to talk to your student and ask him or her for the information or written consent so you can receive the information from the campus. Parents need written consent because most student information is protected under privacy laws, including the California Information Practices Act and the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974.

Some information readily available

Even without consent, parents can request and receive substantial information from the registrar's office without a student's permission, such as major, dates of attendance, enrollment status (e.g., full- or part-time studies, graduate or undergraduate), grade level and the number of units enrolled.

"It's to the student's benefit that we can't release this information," says Wilson, who coordinates campus compliance with the federal act. "The privacy laws allow students access to their education records and provide some protection from misuse of their information, such as identity theft."

Exceptions for health and safety

Wilson says there are exceptions permitting the campus to contact parents or others when necessary to protect the health and safety of a student, for example, if the student has made a suicide threat or been hospitalized for alcohol poisoning.

Under the federal act, students can inspect and review their own records with a few limitations and ask for corrections. They can also exert some control over the disclosure of information from their records.

'Students are adults'

Wilson emphasizes that the university wants to work with parents on these issues and encourages them to have students sign a consent form at the time of enrollment if they want their parents to see grades or details about fees, bills and other financial matters.

She says that some of these issues can be touchy, and students may understandably not want their parent to know, for example, if they have incurred a charge for damage to a residence hall room or been placed on academic probation.

"These students are adults and are being treated by the university that way," Wilson says. "This policy encourages good communication between students and parents."

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