Refund Policy, Privacy Policy and Other Consumer Information
Parental Notification
To the extent allowed under the law, Thomas Aquinas College
aims to serve as an agent of the parents who send their
children to the College. A federal privacy law, however,
limits the ability of the College to disclose certain
information to parents, unless the student is regarded
as a dependent of the parents for tax purposes, or unless
the student has expressly consented to such disclosures.
(See Privacy of Student Education
Records).
Accordingly, unless a student gives the College permission
to release certain information, or unless a parent can
show that the student is a dependent for income tax purposes,
the College may be precluded from sharing certain information
with parents or others who may believe that their relationship
with the student entitles them to have that information.
The College therefore provides each student with a Consent
to Release Educational Records form which would give the
College permission to discuss with the individuals that
the student has designated (presumably parents and guardians)
such matters that would otherwise be protected by this
privacy law-matters such as a student's grades, financial
obligations, disciplinary actions, or standing with the
College.
If, for some reason, a student refuses to designate a
parent or guardian in this Consent form, the College may
choose to discuss certain educational records with a parent,
but only if the parent can present evidence that the student
was declared a dependent on the parent's most recent Federal
Income Tax form. A copy of the cover and signature page
of the tax form will be sufficient to establish this dependency.
Once, therefore, the student's consent is obtained or
the student' dependency is established, the College may
then discuss with parents their child's academic or disciplinary
status, or any other matter of concern to the student's
parents. For further information, please consult the College's
policy on the privacy of student educational records,
a copy of which may be obtained from the Registrar.
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