Parents

A: The Office of Civility and Community Standards sends summons letters and request-to-appear letters to students either involved in or witness to a policy violation. Their letter will provide your student with a date and time for a meeting with a staff member. That meeting is your student’s opportunity to provide their perspective on the incident in question, so a staff member may investigate the information provided in the referral, to determine whether a student is responsible for a policy violation, and, if so, what sanction is appropriate.

A: Meetings are held with just the student. However, a parent(s) can attend once their student has filled out and submitted a consent form allowing the release of confidential information to the specified parent(s). A parent will not be permitted in the meeting without this completed consent form. During this meeting, the parent will serve in an advisor role. This means that while you can attend the meeting with your student, the conversation in the meeting will be between your student and the staff member.  If your student is involved in a Sexual Misconduct or Title IX investigation and/or hearing panel and they would like for you to attend to support or serve as their Advisor, that is their right. 

A: Student disciplinary records are protected under FERPA. The best practice is for your student to inform you about any disciplinary charges directly. Students can authorize release of all information in their disciplinary files. As allowed by FERPA, the Office of Civility and Community Standards may send a Parental Notification to a parent when a student who is under 21 is found responsible for an alcohol or drug policy violation.

A: Yes. Like other colleges and universities across the country, the TWU is subject to a federal law called the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (also called "FERPA"). FERPA sets privacy standards for student educational records and requires institutions to publish a compliance statement, including a statement of related institutional policies. Read more about FERPA.