Parental Notification in Student Conduct Situations
It is our intention to work in close partnership with families (in most cases parents) regarding student conduct situations in a way that is consistent with our philosophy of working directly with students as adults. Should a student become involved in an incident that violates our policies, we hope our communication with families regarding these matters will enable us to work cooperatively to address the current situation and change behavior to avoid future issues. Federal law allows us to share the results of student conduct proceedings if they involve alcohol or drugs, regardless of financial dependency or the College’s receipt of a signed release giving the College permission to share protected information. In these cases, the College will notify families based upon the following guidelines: 1) In all student conduct cases, students are encouraged to discuss the situation with their families. 2) If a student is placed on disciplinary probation, we will send a copy of the letter written at the conclusion of the process to the family in care of the home address listed with the College. 3) If a student is placed on disciplinary suspension or expulsion, we will attempt to contact the family by telephone and we will send a copy of the letter written at the conclusion of the process to the family in care of the home address listed with the College.
For cases that do not involve alcohol or drugs, the College can only share information if a student has signed a release giving the College permission to share protected information and/or the family has notified the College of the student’s financial dependence. If a student has not signed a release giving the College permission to share protected information and/or the family has not notified the College of the student’s financial dependence, the College is not able to notify the family regarding disciplinary situations. However, in all student conduct cases, we encourage students to discuss the situation with their families.
Please contact the Office of Residence Life if you have questions or concerns regarding the above information.