One of the rights a parent has with respect to his or her children is the right to receive or review the child’s important records. Access to child records allows a parent to advocate for his or her child and to parent more effectively. This blog will discuss parental access to dental and school records.
California Family Code § 3025 specifically provides that parents have access to their minor child’s medical, dental, and school records. Under this law, it does not matter whether a parent is the custodial parent or not. You can read more about parental access to child medical records at my earlier blog here.
Parents also have the right to access their minor child’s dental records unless one of the following applies:
- The child is emancipated.
- The child is on active duty.
- The record relates to certain restricted topics, such as sexual assault, communicable or sexually transmitted diseases, or alcohol abuse.
- The dentist determines that releasing the record may harm the patient.
The California Education Code provides parents with wide-ranging rights relating to their children. Many of these rights relate directly to child education records:
- notification of child absenteeism;
- standardized and statewide test performance of the child;
- class curriculum materials;
- child progress; and
- “academic performance standards, proficiencies, or skills their child is expected to accomplish.”
Leaving no room for doubt, the law also specifically provides that parents “have access to the school records of their child” and that they have the right to question inaccurate or misleading information in their child’s records. When a parent does this, the school is legally required to provide a response to the parent.
An experienced California family lawyer can be an invaluable advocate for you and your children. If you are involved in a difficult divorce or separation and have questions about your rights, contact the Law Offices of Judy L. Burger. We have decades of experience in contested divorce and custody issues, and we will put our experience to work for you. Call (415) 259-6636 to get started today.