No HIPAA? No Problem!
End of October is when the shit really hits the fan for most college students. The reality that they may have failed their classes and can’t salvage their grades finally hits. Or if they still magically think they can pass, yet they’re sweating because of the possibility of what’s to come. That is that they might have to face their parents about being unsuccessful this fall semester. Academic Probation sucks. Failing or having to retake classes isn’t something is excited to do. And it happens to a ton of college students every semester. Not like a couple hundred, but more than upwards of 25% of the entire class of students. Just for context. If your student’s class is 5,000 students, then 1250 of them could be on Academic Probation. That’s a lot of students.
But this article isn’t solely about academic success, it’s about success in general and how a parent can bypass releases if they have cause for concern. If for some reason you are still confused about the difference between FERPA and HIPAA, read up on that immediately. Having access to your child’s grades is not tied to HIPAA. Knowing where your students stand academically is tied to whether they gave you permission through the school and they signed a FERPA waiver. Important to note that as a parent, your child can rescind this at any time. Just because they sign it doesn’t mean they can’t take it back. Where HIPAA comes in though is that if your child is failing because they are struggling more than just beyond the typical not going to class, falling behind because of getting sick, or not treating college like a full-time job.
If you don’t have the FERPA release to see their grades, yet you know they’re failing, it’s an unfortunate reality for them. If they are not sleeping, losing massive amount of weight, sounding desperately homesick, and/or expressing suicidal ideation you as a parent can bypass having a pre-signed HIPAA release for your college student and express your concerns to the college directly. They may not be able to tell you anything they know about your student, but they can definitely listen. They can take that information and then delegate it out to the professionals on campus who can check in on your student. That could range from residence life staff, an academic advisor, to a “student’s of concern” task team on campus. So, if you don’t have HIPAA, remember it’s not a problem. Still reach out to see if the campus can help communicate, engage, and ensure your student is safe.
And if your student is no okay to stay on campus because they need to withdraw and step away to get help, make sure you take that step immediately. Rewriting the script around this experience and how it doesn’t define them will be imperative to tackle the second they step off that campus, instead of letting them come home, get too comfortable, and water a seed they planted about “being a failure.” Do what you have to do to help them and express the concern you have for your child. It never hurts to ask someone to check in.
For questions or comments contact Joanna.
