DR. WALLACE: I'm a high school senior, and I would like to see my high school confidential records. I'm in the midst of planning what college I might choose to attend, and I want to know anything and everything that is in my high school files at this time. I asked my counselor, and she said, "No you can't see them." Why can't I see my own records? After all, they're mine. If I'm not allowed to see my records, who is? I'm a girl who has worked hard and behaved as a good citizen on our campus, through the thick and thin of the crazy times that we have all been through lately. What's up with all of the stonewalling? — Good Student, via email

GOOD STUDENT: Your counselor is mistaken. You and your parents or legal guardians have the right to see your confidential records. Have a parent call the school principal and ask that you be allowed to see your file. Permission will ultimately be granted.

In addition, these rights become exclusively yours on your 18th birthday, upon graduation or at any time you marry or enter military service, whichever comes first.

Other than you and your parents, only school officials are ever allowed to view your confidential file. There is a good reason for these files to be kept very secure, but this diligence does preclude you and your family from accessing their contents upon request.

THERE MAY BE OTHER AVENUES

DR. WALLACE: I'm a girl who is 12 and will soon turn 13 years old. My parents previously said that I could have a pet for my 13th birthday if I agreed to take care of it by myself, and I agreed to do just that. But now my parents have changed their minds because of COVID-19 and everything that goes along with that. My parents complain about the pandemic a lot, and now they want to use it as an excuse to block me from getting my new pet.

My parents said that they can't afford a pet now because my mom lost her job. My father is still working, but we do have less money coming in than we used to have. This situation has made me really sad. Is there a more affordable pet I could get that maybe I can talk them into buying? — Seeking a Pet, via email

SEEKING A PET: Pets are a wonderful birthday present, especially for a young lady your age. You can get a fish or a turtle, as they're not very expensive and are easy to take care of. Best of all, their food is very affordable.

An interesting effect of this pandemic is that many more pets have been adopted than ever before. This means your neighborhood is likely full of new pets, especially small dogs. You might check with your parents to see if they might allow you to offer a dog-walking service to some elderly neighbors in your area. If this were to work out, it might provide you enough income to license, feed and immunize a small dog of your own, for example.

Think all of these suggestions over, and discuss them with your parents. There may be a solution that your whole family can find acceptable. You'll never know unless you ask, but be prepared to be very responsible and reliable if you are lucky enough to be given any pet-related responsibilities.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at rwallace@thegreatestgift.com. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: Free-Photos at Pixabay