Family Notification Process

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) protects students’ educational records, which includes disciplinary records, from being accessed by others without their permission. However, under certain circumstances, Student Conduct is permitted to notify parents of the outcome of a student’s disciplinary situation.

The university may disclose the result of a disciplinary situation to a parent if the student is under the age of 21 at the time of the incident and the situation has resulted in a violation of university drug or alcohol policies or any federal, state, or local law:

• Following the first violation of university policy regarding alcohol, a letter will be sent to the parent/guardian that will inform the parent/guardian that a violation has occurred and subsequent sanctions. Further details regarding the violation and situation cannot be disclosed or discussed without the student signed FERPA/conduct waiver.
• Following any incident in which the use of alcohol or drugs has resulted in hospitalization.

For other types of disciplinary situations, parents can request that their son or daughter sign a waiver to allow staff from Student Conduct to speak with them about the student’s disciplinary situation. For more information, call Student Conduct at 305-892-7602. JWU Student Handbook.