Clarifying finances and who pays for what can help avoid future strife as well. Parents and students should also share their respective academic expectations, Silverstein suggests.
Parents still play an important role in the life of their college-age child.
And while more armed guards and metal detectors might ease some fears about school shootings, Temple school psychologist Irwin Hyman says the real challenge is for districts to create an atmosphere that doesn't promote alienation, abuse or violence. Hyman, co-author of the newly released book Dangerous Schools, says that while school shootings are tragic and unsettling, kids in school are more likely to experience physical and emotional abuse at the hands of their teachers or others in authority positions. Schools have to adjust and create a climate where this doesn't occur. What schools don't need are more cops and laws. Schools need to put resources into hiring more mental health professionals to identify at-risk kids.