Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students certain rights with respect to their education records. These
rights include:
1. The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within 45 days of the day the College receives a request for
access. Students should submit to the registrar, dean, head of the academic department, or other appropriate official, writte
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equests that identify the record(s) they wish to inspect. The College official will make arrangements for access and notify th
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tudent of the time and place where the records may be inspected. If the records are not maintained by the College official to who
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he request was submitted, that official shall advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed.
2. The right to request amendment of an education record that the student believes is inaccurate. Students may ask an appropriate
College official to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate. The student should write to the College official, clearly identify the
part of the record he or she wants changed, and specify why he/she believes it is inaccurate. The College will notify the student of
the decision. If the College decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, the College will advise the student of his or
her right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be
provided to the student when notified of the right to a hearing.
NOTE: FERPA is not intended to provide a process to question substantive judgments that are correctly recorded. For example, th
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ight of challenge does not allow a student to contest a grade in a course because the student believes that a higher grade shoul
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have been assigned.
3. The right to consent to disclosure of personally identifiable information contained in the student’s education records, except to
the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. FERPA permits disclosure without consent to school officials with
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egitimate educational interests. A "school official" includes but is not limited to the following: a person employed by the College in
an administrative, supervisory, academic, research or support staff position (including law enforcement and security personnel,
counseling and health staff); a person or company with whom the College has contracted (such as an attorney, auditor, collection
agent or official of the National Student
Clearinghouse); a person serving on the Board of Trustees who is authorized to act on its
behalf; or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school
official in performing his or her tasks. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an
education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibilities.
FERPA also permits disclosure of education records without consent in connection with, but not limited:
to comply with a judicial order or a lawfully issued subpoena t o appropriate parties in a health or safety emergency
to officials of another school, upon request, in which the student seeks or intends to enroll
in connection with a student’s request for or receipt of financial aid, as necessary to determine the eligibility, amount or
conditions of the financial aid, or to enforce the terms and conditions of the aid
to certain officials of the U.S. Department of Education, the Comptroller General, to state and local educational authorities,
in connection with certain state or federally supported education programs
to accrediting organizations to carry out their functions
to organizations conducting certain studies for or on behalf of the College
the results of an institutional disciplinary proceeding against the alleged perpetrator of a crime of violence to the alleged
victim of that crime with respect to that crime.
directory information as defined in the policy of the Board of Trustees.
4. The right to refuse to permit the College to release directory information about the student, except to school officials with a
legitimate educational interest and others as indicated in paragraph 3. This is called the "Opt-Out" option. A student exercising this
right must notify the Registrar in writing. There is an "Opt Out" form on the college website that can be used for this purpose. Onc
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iled, this notification becomes a permanent part of the student’s record until the student instructs the College, in writing, to remove
it.
5. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by Colleges to comply with the
requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the Office is available in the Registrar’s Office.
