Do parents have access to college records about their child?

Article courtesy of Suzanne Mims from the examiner.com

You are moving your child into the dorm, freshman year is about to begin. You've paid that tuition bill, paid for room and board, paid for several pairs of jeans, paid for the micro fridge and a host of other dorm room and study aid items. You may be paying all those bills, but without two critical forms, you may find yourself blocked from accessing critical information about your college student.

FERPA? HIPAA?

Have you heard of FERPA? The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 provides parents the right to see academic records; however "when a student turns 18 years old or enters a postsecondary institution at any age, all rights afforded to parents under FERPA transfer to the student."
Which means that you can't see those records unless your child authorizes you to do so.

Now, most colleges have a standard form that your student can sign authorizing you to view their academic records. With a little arm-twisting and power of the purse strings, most families... Click here to read full article