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May 09, 2012, 08:00:00 AM
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This is an alternative letter requesting access to your child's medical or educational records. This letter is more concise and has a somewhat less aggressive tone than the standard letter we offer.
If you have a good relationship with the doctor or school you're requesting records from, this might be a better letter to send. If this letter doesn't produce results, we suggest following up with one of our standard letters for school or medical records. Copy the text into your word-processor and change the information in [brackets] to fit your particular circumstances.
[Your name]
[Your address]
[Your City, State, Zip]
[Your phone number]
[Your e-mail]
[Principal's name]
[School or Doctor's address]
[City, State, Zip]
Re: Records Access - [child's name]
Date: xx/xx/xxxx
Dear [Mr./Ms. teacher, doctor, or Principal's name],
It has recently come to my attention that my [son/daughter], [child's name], [is a patient of yours] OR [is attending your institution/school]. I have included, for your records, a copy of the "Records Access Notice" from my divorce decree, which provides me with full access to any and all records regarding my child. I would greatly appreciate it if you could have a copy of all records regarding my child dating back to his/her initial visit (enrollment) sent to the address above at your earliest convenience.
Please let me know of any costs involved and I will reimburse you for them immediately. Feel free to contact me with any questions regarding the above.
Thank you,
[Your name]
Non-residential parent
Enclosure (1) (enclose front page of your divorce decree and the page with the Records Access Notice)
Note: Many divorce decrees do not include or make reference to a "Records Access Notice". If this is the case, we suggest you include one or both of the following items:
If you have a good relationship with the doctor or school you're requesting records from, this might be a better letter to send. If this letter doesn't produce results, we suggest following up with one of our standard letters for school or medical records. Copy the text into your word-processor and change the information in [brackets] to fit your particular circumstances.
[Your name]
[Your address]
[Your City, State, Zip]
[Your phone number]
[Your e-mail]
[Principal's name]
[School or Doctor's address]
[City, State, Zip]
Re: Records Access - [child's name]
Date: xx/xx/xxxx
Dear [Mr./Ms. teacher, doctor, or Principal's name],
It has recently come to my attention that my [son/daughter], [child's name], [is a patient of yours] OR [is attending your institution/school]. I have included, for your records, a copy of the "Records Access Notice" from my divorce decree, which provides me with full access to any and all records regarding my child. I would greatly appreciate it if you could have a copy of all records regarding my child dating back to his/her initial visit (enrollment) sent to the address above at your earliest convenience.
Please let me know of any costs involved and I will reimburse you for them immediately. Feel free to contact me with any questions regarding the above.
Thank you,
[Your name]
Non-residential parent
Enclosure (1) (enclose front page of your divorce decree and the page with the Records Access Notice)
Note: Many divorce decrees do not include or make reference to a "Records Access Notice". If this is the case, we suggest you include one or both of the following items:
- Wording from your State Statutes on records access, and/or
- Section 99.4 of FERPA, which reads as follows:
"An educational agency or institution shall give full rights under the Act to either parent unless the agency or institution has been provided with evidence that there is a court order, state Statute, or legally binding document relating to such matters as divorce, separation, or custody, that specifically revokes these rights."