FERPA
What is FERPA?
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974, as amended, is a federal law that protects student education records. The law provides that the institution will maintain the confidentiality of student education records.
What are Education Records?
Education records are those records that are directly related to a student and are maintained by the institution or by a party acting for the institution. These records may include:
Faculty notes, data compilation, and administrative records kept exclusively by the maker of the records that are not accessible or revealed to anyone are not considered educational records.
How Many Types of Education Records Are There?
There are two types of education records as defined under FERPA: directory information and non-directory information. Each type of educational record is afforded different disclosure protections.
Directory Information
Some information in a student's education record is defined as directory information under FERPA. This is information contained in an educational record of a student which would not generally be considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed. However, a student may exercise the option to restrict the release of directory information by submitting a written request to the Academic Office to limit disclosure.
Directory Information Includes:
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Student's full name
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Address
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College assigned e-mail address
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Telephone listing
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Date and place of birth
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Major field of study
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Degrees and awards received
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Dates of attendance
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Most recent previous school attended
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Classification: full time or part time
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High school attended
Non-directory Information
Non-directory information is any educational record not considered directory information. Non-directory information must not be released to anyone; including parents of the student, without the prior written consent of the student.
Non-directory information includes:
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Social Security Numbers
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Student identification numbers
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Race, ethnicity and/or nationality
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Gender
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Transcripts; grade reports
This non-directory information is protected information under FERPA.
What Rights Do Parents Have Under FERPA?
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Information about students' academic records or transcripts of them may be disclosed to students' parents by either of two procedures:
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By obtaining the student's written consent
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By having the parents establish the student's dependency as defined by the Revenue Code of 1954, Sec. 152.
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Academic records will be disclosed to other educational institutions only upon written consent of the student.
What Information Can Be Released Without Student Consent?
The law allows disclosure without consent to:
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School employees who have a legitimate educational interest
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Accrediting organizations
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Certain government officials who are conducting audits
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Veteran's administration
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State educational authorities
What Documents Does a Student Not Have a Right To See?
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Financial information submitted by parents
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Confidential letters, etc. associated with admissions or honors to which a student has waived rights of inspection
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Educational records containing information about other students grades or test scores
What About Telephone Disclosure?
Due to the potential for violation of privacy, educational information is not disclosed by telephone at any time.
How Can a Student Challenge the Contents of Educational Records?
The College will provide students an opportunity to challenge the content of their educational records that the students consider to be inaccurate, misleading or otherwise a violation of their privacy or other rights.
The request to challenge any item of information must be submitted in writing to the administrative head of the office in which the record is kept. Upon receipt of such a request, the administrative officer will arrange for a hearing where the challenge will be heard. Should the student be unsuccessful in his/her challenge of an item of information he/she will be allowed to enter his/her own version of the item in question in the file.