Now high schools may notify the parent of a student, who has already reached the age of majority, only if the student has personally allowed the school to send the parents such information. Students may also excuse their own absence.
Even though these days most of the students and their parents do not think about school and schoolwork, it is good to be acquainted with some of the novelties for students who are over 18, their parents and teachers in the upcoming school year. A high school will notify parents about the grades of their child, who has reached the age of majority, about detention orders and about their absence, only if the student allows this information being sent to the parents beforehand.
Usually in schools, the teacher – the class teacher informs the parents about their children, their grades and their absence: the parents have an access to the e-gradebook, however, an 18-year-old student may forbid the school to inform the parents about his or hers schooling.
Due to the European Data Protection Regulation and the Family Code, the collaboration between parents of students who are over 18 and the school, will from September 1 onwards work the other way around. »When a student turns 18, the parent somehow loses the right to get an access to the grades, the absence and to potential detention orders without the student's explicit consensus,« said the specialist in Education Law Nina Ana Jeger.
A school will then have to obtain a personal consent from the student, who has already reached the age of majority, to inform the parents about his or hers schooling. Schools are worried about the fact that the law allows the students to excuse their own absence.
Lawyer Jeger agrees that being over 18 does not ensure an independent life and that parents remain their child's backbone. "The new legislation is what it is, it certainly interferes with the traditional concept of a Slovenian family. Here is an example: a mother comes to the office hours and a teacher says that they do not have a consensus. Such a situation may happen." Since regulatory changes are not expected, Jeger advises to teach the students about the consequences of adulthood; after all, the age of criminal responsibility is 14 years old.