Addressing Parents Who Are Too Involved With Your Advisee

There is much discussion in educational circles of the current generation of "helicopter parents" -- so named because they hover around their students near-continually.  College Board has an excellent article on the defining characteristics of these folks, "Are You a Helicopter Parent?" 

Although it might seem like courtesy to address a helicopter parent directly, remember that until your Advisee has signed a waiver and filed it in the Dean of Students' Office, the Federal Right to Privacy Act (FERPA) prevents you from discussing academic progress or advising issues.  As a reminder (from the Monmouth College Catalogue):

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students certain rights with respect to their education records. They are:

1) The right to inspect and review the student’s education records.

2) The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records to ensure that they are not inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy or other rights.

3) The right to withhold disclosure of Directory Information contained in the student’s education records, except to the extent FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.

4) The right to file with the U.S. Department of Education a complaint concerning alleged failures by Monmouth College to comply with the requirements of FERPA.

5) The right to obtain a copy of Monmouth College’s FERPA Policy Statement which is on file in the Office of the Registrar.

If a parent insists on speaking about academic or advising issues, s/he should be referred to the Dean of Students' Office.