Your Child’s Rights: Going Back to School

Legal considerations for college students

Parents of college students living away from home have much to consider. In addition to obvious matters such as living quarters and class schedules, there are legal considerations.

Did you know that when a child turns 18, many states take away the parents’ rights to make medical decisions on their behalf? If you still want a say in your child’s medical needs, a lawyer can help you establish Health Care Power of Attorney.

Is your child renting their living space? A lawyer can review lease agreements to ensure legal accuracy.In addition to real estate and health care, a lawyer can assist college students in several areas of law:

• Employment/internships
• Contracts/leases
• Credit and debt
• Criminal misdemeanor
• Insurance
• Consumer
• Will and Living Will
• Power of Attorney
• Uncontested family matters
• Landlord-tenant

It’s also a good idea to understand FERPA – the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. FERPA requires schools to obtain your written consent before they share your child’s academic or personal records. It's simply a safeguard to ensure that your child’s personally identifiable information (PII) is safe from prying eyes.

You’ll likely want to know about your child’s school policies on:

• Bullying and cyberbullying, both ever-increasing threats
• Slip-and-fall accidents
• Use of prescription medication
• Drug testing policies
• Competency testing to know what your child will experience
• Curriculum standards
• Religious ideology in the classroom

Extra considerations for students behind the wheel

Parents with students of driving age are likely always concerned about the ever-present chance of their children receiving a traffic ticket. Consider the following scenario:Jeremy is the father of a seventeen-year-old named Will. While driving to a school football game, Will ran a red light while speeding and was issued a citation.

Because Jeremy had already given his family the gift of legal protection through LegalShield, he avoided the high hourly costs typically associated with legal counsel. His son was instead able to consult with a lawyer on his traffic issues for the low monthly rate of a LegalShield Membership.

If your child gets into legal trouble, help is available

LegalShield’s dedicated law firms will provide a lawyer to help you send your children back to school with confidence. Here are a few of the ways a LegalShield provider law firm can help:

• Consultation on any personal legal topic such as:
  • Student conduct
  • Underage drinking
  • Fake IDs
  • Expungements
  • Recreational marijuana use
  • Rental agreements
  • Employment issues
• Document review as you read over the waivers, forms and other paperwork
• Legal defense for speeding tickets
• Civil disputes

Going back to school is an exciting time for kids: New friends, new outfits, and new things to learn and do. But for parents like you, it is likely a time of worry and uncertainty as well.Make the process of going back to school easier by learning more about how LegalShield can help protect students of all ages.

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‍LegalShield provides access to legal services offered by a network of provider law firms to LegalShield Members through member-based participation. Neither LegalShield nor its officers, employees or sales associates directly or indirectly provide legal services, representation or advice. See a plan contract at legalshield.com for specific state of residence for complete terms, coverage, amounts, and conditions. This is not intended to be legal or medical advice. Please contact a medical professional for medical advice or assistance and an attorney for legal advice or assistance.