Answer: Yes, unaccompanied youth do have the right to do this. Since the McKinney-Vento Act requires LEAs to remove barriers to enrollment and retention in school for children and youth experiencing homelessness, the school has to be sensitive to issues that could lead to students avoiding school or even dropping out. 42 USC §11432(g)(1)(I). How the school interacts with parents is one of those issues, given the conflict, tension, and even violence in the families of many unaccompanied youth. If an unaccompanied youth wishes to remove her parents from the contacts/demographics screen, the school needs to do that. You’re correct that the parent’s FERPA rights to “the opportunity to inspect and review the student’s education records” remain intact.
In applying FERPA to our electronic records system, we are wondering if an unaccompanied youth can remove her parents from the contacts/demographics screen. This essentially would remove the parent from getting automated calls around attendance and things of that nature; however, it wouldn’t prevent the parent from actually getting transcripts, etc. Do unaccompanied youth have the right to do this?
Jan 27, 2020 | Q and A