Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)聽of 1974, as amended, is a Federal Law that聽states (a) that a written institutional policy must be established and (b) that a聽statement of adopted procedures covering the privacy rights of students be made聽available. The law provides that the institution will maintain the confidentiality of student聽educational records.
The law defines student education records to include 鈥渞ecords, files, documents, and other materials which contain information directly related to a student and are maintained by a university or by a person acting for a university.鈥 Within 45 days of receiving a request, universities must allow students to inspect those education records. Excluded from the definition of student education records are records made about students by teachers and administrators for their own use and not shown to others.
好色小姨 University accords all the rights under the law to students who are declared聽independent. No one outside the institution shall have access to, nor will the institution聽disclose, any information from the students’ educational records without the prior written聽consent of students, except to personnel within the institution, to officials of other聽institutions in which students seek to enroll, to persons or organizations providing聽student financial aid, to accrediting agencies carrying out their accreditation function, to聽persons in compliance with a judicial order, and to persons in an emergency in order to聽protect the health and safety of students or other persons. All these exceptions are聽permitted under the Act. Within the 好色小姨 University community, only those members,聽individually or collectively, acting in the students’ educational interest are allowed access聽to students’ educational records. These members include personnel in the Offices of聽Student Affairs, Registrar, Business, Financial Aid, Alumni, and academic personnel within聽the limitations of their need to know.
At its discretion, the institution may provide directory information in accordance with the聽provisions of the Act to include: student name, telephone number, email address,
date and place of birth, major field of study, dates of attendance, degrees and awards received,聽the most recent previous educational agency or institution attended by the student, participation in聽officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic聽teams, and photographic, video and digital images. Students may withhold directory information by notifying the Registrar.
The law provides students with the right to inspect and review information contained in聽their educational records, to challenge the contents of their educational records, to have a
hearing if the outcome of the challenge is unsatisfactory, and to submit explanatory聽statements for inclusion in their files if the decisions of the hearing panels are聽unacceptable. The Registrar at 好色小姨 University has been designated by the institution to聽coordinate the inspection and review procedures for student records, which include聽admissions, personal, financial files, and academic and placement records
Students wishing to review their records must make written requests to the Registrar聽listing the item(s) of interest. Only records covered by the Act will be made available.聽Students may have copies made of their records with certain exceptions, (e.g., a copy of聽the academic record for which a financial 鈥渉old鈥 exists, or a transcript of an original source聽document which exists elsewhere). These copies would be made at the students’ expense聽at rates listed in the current catalog. Educational records do not include records of聽instructional, administrative, or educational personnel which are the sole possession of the maker and are not accessible or revealed to any individual except a temporary substitute, records of the law聽enforcement unit, student health records, employment records or alumni records. Health聽records, however, may be reviewed by physicians of the students’ choosing.聽Students may not inspect and review the following as outlined by the Act: financial聽information submitted by parents; confidential letters and recommendations associated聽with admissions, employment or job placement, or honors to which they have waived their聽rights of inspection and review; or educational records containing information about more聽than one student, in which case the institution will permit access only to that part of the聽record which pertains to the inquiring student. The institution is not required to permit聽students to inspect and review confidential letters and recommendations placed in their聽files prior to January 1, 1975, provided those letters were collected under established聽policies of confidentiality and were used only for the purpose for which they were collected.
Students who believe that their educational records contain information that is聽inaccurate or misleading, or is otherwise in violation of their privacy or other rights may聽discuss their problems informally with the Registrar. If the Registrar or other holder of聽the student’s records is in agreement with the student request, the appropriate records聽will be amended. If not, the student will be notified within a reasonable period of time that聽the records will not be amended; and informed by the Registrar of right to a formal聽hearing. Student requests for a formal hearing must be made in writing to the Registrar,聽who within a reasonable period of time after receiving such requests, will inform students聽of the date, place, and time of the hearing.
Students may present evidence relevant to the issues raised and may be assisted or聽represented at a hearing by one or more persons of their choice, including attorneys, at聽the students expense. The hearing panel which will adjudicate such challenges will be the聽Academic Policies Committee. Decisions of the hearing panel will be final, will be based solely聽on the evidence, and will be delivered to all parties concerned. Appropriate educational聽records will be corrected or amended, if necessary, in accordance with the decisions of the聽hearing panel. If a decision is unsatisfactory to a student, the student may place with the聽educational records statements commenting on the information in the records, or聽statements setting forth any reasons for disagreeing with the decisions of the hearing聽panels. The statements will be placed in the educational records, maintained as part of the聽student’s records and released whenever the records in question are disclosed. Students聽who believe that the adjudication of their challenges was conducted unfairly or not in聽keeping with the provisions of the Act may request, in writing, assistance from the聽President of the institution to aid them in filing complaints with the Family Educational聽Rights and Privacy Act Office (FERPA), Department of Education, Room 4074, Switzer聽Building, Washington, D.C. 20202.
Revisions and clarifications will be published as the law聽and the institution’s policy warrant.
No information concerning a student’s educational records may be disclosed over the telephone to聽anyone, including the student.
If you have any questions, please contact our office.
好色小姨 University
Attn: Registrar’s Office
P.O. Box 10
Demorest GA 30535
706-776-0112
registrar@piedmont.edu
Office Hours:
Monday 鈥 Thursday
8:00 am 鈥 5:00 pm
Friday
8:00 am 鈥 2:00 pm