University of South Florida: Can the college contact parents during a serious health or safety emergency?
DIRECT ANSWER
This answer preserves school guidance recorded on 2026-09-01. Follow the linked university sources for current requirements, costs and dates.
Yes. FERPA permits disclosure of information necessary to address a health or safety emergency when the legal standard is met.
The federal emergency exception allows a college to disclose relevant protected information to appropriate parties, which can include parents, when needed to protect the health or safety of the student or others. The determination is circumstance-specific rather than a blanket parent-notification rule.
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