Instructor:
H. David Shaw, Director, Office of Judicial Affairs, George Mason University

Description:
Parental notification has always been a hot topic. On one hand students come to our institutions as young adults to mature and to learn both in and out of class. On the increasingly so, parents want to know what is going on in their students lives. The issue is if we can and how we can balance those two seemingly conflicting agendas.

This course will look at the history of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act 20 USC § 1232g, also known as FERPA and its many amendments. Most specifically we will discuss parental notification as allowed by the Warner Amendment of 1998 and others. The course will also examine different levels and/or types of parental notification programs throughout the U.S. and will discuss the effectiveness of such programs.

Finally, we will discuss the current state of parental notification post Virginia Tech and other tragedies. We will examine what legislatures are doing or attempting to do to insure that parents are notified and when they should be notified.

Course Outline:
Week One - The History of FERPA and amendments thereto
Week Two - Different Parental Notification Models
Week Three - The Effectiveness of Parental Notification

Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Better know the history of FERPA and amendments thereto
• Better identify when parental notification is authorized under Warner and other amendments to FERPA
• Understand the conflict of a young adult student's privacy and the need for parental knowledge and involvement
• Examine their own and other institutions policy on parental notification and the effectiveness thereof
• Analyze the impact of Virginia Tech and other tragedies on the issue of student privacy
• Relate the current legislation and trends in parental notification in their own and other states

Participant Expectations:
Participants should plan to spend approximately 3 to 4 hours per week in this course. This will include time to read materials, complete on-line exercises and surveys and participate in asynchronous on-line discussions. Participants will need to log on for course content that will be posted weekly. In addition participants will need to respond to questions posted on the discussion board each week. As the discussion board is asynchronous, students may check in and post at their convenience. This learning tool will be an important part of participant's learning experience.

Instructor Bio:
H. David Shaw currently serves George Mason University as its Director of the Office of Judicial Affairs. He received his MA from the University of Mississippi, EdS from Arkansas State University, and is ABD in his EdD program in Educational Leadership from that institution. His intended dissertation is on the topic of parental notification and its perceived effectiveness. David has been in the field of Student Affairs for over 9 years, and student conduct administration for almost 7 of those years. He is a member of the Association of Student Judicial Affairs where he has served in various leadership roles. He has been or is a member of the Arkansas College Student Personnel Association, American College Personnel Association and the National Association of Student Personnel Administrations. He has published and presented locally, regionally, and internationally on a variety of student affairs and student conduct topics.