Parents and Families
Parents and Family in Study Abroad
Parents and family are an important part of a student’s study abroad journey. Parents and family can support their students through the below:
- Assist with Flight Arrangements: support your student by comparing ticket prices offered by travel agents, student agencies, and websites. Help with flight arrangements and transportation details.
- Create a Communication Plan: discuss and set realistic expectations with your student on when, how often, and through what platform (email, Whatsapp, phone, text, etc.) your student will communicate with you. Know emergency contacts in-country, including the U.S. Embassy, the program’s office, the address and phone number of the student’s accommodations abroad and any other important details. Have more than one way of getting in touch with your student while he or she is abroad.
- Visa and Paperwork: Help make sure your student’s paperwork, including visa, is in order.
- International Insurance: Assist your student with obtaining sufficient international insurance that covers medical treatment, security and political evacuation, emergency evacuation, repatriation of remains, legal assistance/liability, travel cancellation, loss of personal items, and family visits in the event of hospitalization. Click here to learn more.
- Develop an Emergency Plan: Be aware of what the US Embassy and the Consulate can and cannot do to assist your student in the event of a crisis. Create an Emergency Action Plan (EAP) with your student and talk through important details such as evacuation, nearest medical facilities, and local police phone number, among other details. Click here to learn more.
Emergencies Abroad and Parent Response
California Baptist University encourages parents and families to research their student’s host country and have in-country emergency contacts on hand ahead of study abroad travel. Should your student experience an issue or incident while studying abroad, their first instinct may be to contact their parents or family, but students should first contact local program staff, authorities, and emergency services. Click here to learn more about emergencies.
Student Privacy
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student academic and education records. Parents and families will not have access to student information, including academic and education records, financial obligations, and other FERPA protected information without written consent from the student. Students, parents and families are encouraged to review FERPA.
Student academic and education record information may not be released without prior written consent of the student.
Students may grant consent to disclose information online by accessing FERPA - Student Privacy on the InsideCBU student portal. From there, students can provide a list of names they authorize communication with regarding study abroad under section 4, "Academic Information Release" and by checking the "Other" category and specifying study abroad.
It is the primary responsibility of students to keep their parents or guardians informed about their progress at CBU, including in global programs which encompass study abroad, a faculty-led program or international internship. To this end, all program-related information and instructions will be sent directly to the student. We encourage students to share this information with their parents or guardians.