Parent's Resource Guide

Communicating with SMC
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

Parents are important partners in the college’s aim to provide students with the best possible educational experience.

Our philosophy of student development is based on the belief that college students are most successful in their transition towards becoming responsible adults when the college interacts with them accordingly. Toward this end, your student will be your primary link to the college. We will communicate directly with your student about anything that might affect his or her educational experience; you can learn about these communications by talking with your student directly.

FERPA, enacted into law in 1974, provides for the right of students to inspect and review their own education records, the right to seek to amend those records, and the right to limit disclosure of information from the official records. This means that if you have a question about how your student is doing in classes, whether your student is attending classes, or want to talk about your student’s experiences on campus, you will need to communicate directly with your student. Students who want their parents to be able to talk with college officials directly must sign a waiver form, available in the Academic Support offices. If your student transfers to another college, only he or she can request that the SMC transcript be sent.