<p>I never understood why colleges send home notes to parents for something such as academic probation or underage drinking?</p>
<p>Or does this note just go to whomever is paying for the education?</p>
<p>They don't send notes home if the parents don't pay for tuition, do they? Just looking for some insight as to how this works....</p>
<p>I’ve never heard of notes going home to parents. Isn’t that illegal under FERPA? </p>
<p>Actually, the school can send information home without student consent, if student is a dependent of the parent on income taxes.</p>
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<p>I would recommend that Op look up school’s notification policy.</p>
<p>For example, Dartmouth states in their letter to parents, that they will mail to parents the first term grades:</p>
<p><a href=“Home | Undergraduate Deans Office”>Home | Undergraduate Deans Office;
<p>they also state that they will inform parent if student is placed on academic probation</p>
<p><a href=“Home | Community Standards & Accountability”>Home | Community Standards & Accountability;
<p>Since many times being on probation will affect your SAP and your ability to get or keep your financial aid, it is in your best interest to disclose to your parents.</p>
<p>While the bill was not addressed to me, it was mailed to my house with an expectation that I pay the bill. As a parent, I have always advised my kid that it is better for her to tell me something that is going on vs. my hearing something about her from a 3rd party.</p>
<p>This is discussion that you should have with your parents as families tend to handle the situation a number of different ways. Some parents will have problems if grades fall be low a B or if student loses scholarship due to drop in GPA. Other families will pay as long as the student is making satisfactory academic progress (which means as long as student is not on warning or probation than it is all good).</p>
<p>Underage drinking notification would fall under:
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<p>So oldfort, what you’re saying is that even if a student is not a dependent of the parents, they will still receive updates (depending on the school of course…)?</p>
<p>Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of being 18 and an adult?</p>
<p>Mhammel…the best way to solve this issue for you…don’t plan to get on academic probation. Don’t plan to do underage drinking.</p>
<p>Problem solved.</p>
<p>ETA…unless you are over age 24, you are considered a dependent for college purposes. Your parents would be the adults of record for serious issues as noted above.</p>
<p>If you really don’t want anyone to know if you get in serious trouble, wait to attend college until you can be considered independent by the college…which has absolutely nothing to do with the person paying the bills.</p>
<p>As an 18 year old adult, you still can’t drink. </p>
<p>Parents are the ones who would most likely get stuck with the medical or funeral bills, be asked to pay bail money and/or fines, and possibly have auto and liability insurance cost increases. And if they are paying tuition, they are the ones wasting big bucks if the student fails out of school.</p>
<p>My daughter’s private college required students to sign permission for parents to be contacted in cases of academic struggles or signs of physical/emotional trouble. One thing the school did was monitor how often the student used a meal card (freshmen required to live on campus) for evidence of eating disorders, depression, or social problems.</p>
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If you’re an 18 year old adult, and are paying for your own education, then you might be able to fight the notification process.</p>
<p>If you’re not paying for your own education, you are only nominally an adult, and are still dependent on someone else.</p>
<p>So if you’re an independent for tax purposes, this would be moot? Interesting, I learned something today. </p>
<p>I started filing as an independent when I was 18 and my parents didn’t pay for my college at all. I would personally not have chosen a school that notified my parents of anything and I honestly didn’t know schools like that existed. </p>
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Not necessary.
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<p>Sorry, I was referring specifically to the grades issue. My mistake for not clarifying. </p>
<p>I also didn’t realize that health and safety topics were under FERPA… or is it a different policy? </p>
<p>Same policy.</p>
<p>My kid’s college sent all grades “to the parents of Thumperson”.</p>
<p>We didn’t get grades for either one of our Ds. And when my wife was in school we had to call her parents to find out what the final grades were. On the short end of both sticks (over time).</p>
<p>I find it amusing that colleges never sent us the grades, but always sent us the bills…</p>
<p>DS’s school sent US the grades and sent HIM the bills! Like he was ever going to pay the bills!</p>
<p>DDs school sent everything to her. I had her sign over rights for me to get the bill and talk to the bursar’s office.</p>