In the interest of holding our students responsible for their own academic performance and as mandated by the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (a.k.a. the Buckley Amendment), which enjoins post-secondary institutions from disclosing confidential student records to "third parties," the College does not send end-of-semester grade reports to parents. (The parents of a student who has been placed on academic probation do receive a copy of a letter addressed to their daughter that explains the conditions of her probation, but such a letter does not include a grade-by-grade overview of her academic performance.) Parents of financially dependent students may receive end-of-semester grade reports if they provide the most recent, filed tax return confirming their daughter's dependent status, and/or the student's written consent.
Especially during the freshman year, parents who are accustomed to receiving report cards and discussing their daughter's academic performance with elementary and secondary teachers may approach you informally to find out "how she is doing" and how her performance can be improved. It is as well to assume that their interest is well-intentioned, but also to refrain from commenting directly on their daughter's performance or her standing in your course. We recommend, in other words, that you work directly with the student herself and hold her responsible for her own performance, while conveying to concerned parents that if her academic work is giving her difficulty, you stand ready to help. Instead of commenting directly on a particular student's work you might speak to her parents in general terms about the course itself and the kinds of work it involves, the various academic support services that are available, and/or your out-of-class availability to students via e-mail and during office hours.
Maintained by the Office of the Provost.
Posted October 2001.