What's the law on grade reporting to a student's parents?

Question

Hi.

I have a question on privacy law regarding academic grades,
especially concerning a student's parents.

What's the law on grade reporting to a student's parents?
By grade, I mean the marks a student receives in high-school
and university.

Is it true, for someone who's under 18 (or is it 21?), that the
education institution can send his/her grades to his/her parents,
but not after he's over 18 (or 21)?

Thanks.
Curious Mind

Also, let's say the student in college got into some discipline-related issues, such as, cheating on an exam, fighting with other students, can these matters be reported to the parents of the student?

Thank you.

Answer 1

The law in the US regarding students in college (no matter what their age) is that professors (and registrars, and anyone else) are not allowed to divulge students' grades to parents unless the student provides specific (usually written) permission.

EDIT:
In response to your second question, the answer is generally not. However, these days more and more universities deal with assault and other crimes by reporting them to the police, and ALSO deal with them in-house. So any criminal action could result in expulsion, as well as a police record. The police DO notify the parents of underage students. As to plagiarism, that usually results in an F for the assignment or course, but many universities punish academic dishonesty with expulsion as well.