The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) permits a college or university to inform parents of students under the age of 21 to know if the student has violated any law or policy concerning the use or possession of alcohol or a controlled substance.
Gonzaga University generally notifies the parents or guardians of any student under the age of 21 at the first known violation of the University’s Drug Policy and at the second known violation of the University’s Alcohol Policy. The University may provide notification for a first known violation of the Alcohol Policy if the violation involved harm (or threat of harm) to persons or property, required medical intervention, resulted in an arrest, or if the University believes there are other factors that necessitate such notification.
Notification includes information about the date and location of the violation as well as what policy was violated. All students receive written notices of a conduct process and of the outcome of the process and may share this with parents/guardians at their discretion. Parents/guardians are encouraged to engage with their student(s) about the specifics of the incident and outcomes that have been assigned as a result of the violation.
Parental notifications are sent to the student’s permanent address on file with the University.