Siena Heights University
Access to Student Records ( FERPA )
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act ( FERPA ) ( 20 U . S . C . § 1232g ; 34 CFR Part 99 ) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records . The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U . S . Department of Education .
FERPA gives parents certain rights with respect to their children ' s education records . These rights transfer to the student when he or she reaches the age of 18 or attends a school beyond the high school level . Students to whom the rights have transferred are " eligible students ."
Note : Because these rights are transferred to eligible students , Siena Heights University allows students to complete a FERPA Release of Information form which permits parents access to their records . The following points are direct quotes from the legislation .
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Parents or eligible students have the right to inspect and review the student ' s education records maintained by the school . Schools are not required to provide copies of records unless , for reasons such as great distance , it is impossible for parents or eligible students to review the records . Schools may charge a fee for copies .
Parents or eligible students have the right to request that a school correct records which they believe to be inaccurate or misleading . If the school decides not to amend the record , the parent or eligible student then has the right to a formal hearing . After the hearing , if the school still decides not to amend the record , the parent or eligible student has the right to place a statement with the record setting forth his or her view about the contested information .
Generally , schools must have written permission from the parent or eligible student in order to release any information from a student ' s education record . However , FERPA allows schools to disclose those records , without consent , to the following parties or under the following conditions ( 34 CFR § 99.31 ):
School officials with legitimate educational interest ; Other schools to which a student is transferring ; Specified officials for audit or evaluation purposes ; Appropriate parties in connection with financial aid to a student ; Organizations conducting certain studies for or on behalf of the school ; Accrediting organizations ; To comply with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena ; Appropriate officials in cases of health and safety emergencies ; and State and local authorities , within a juvenile justice system , pursuant to specific State law .
Schools may disclose , without consent , " directory " information as per below . However , schools must tell parents and eligible students about directory information and allow parents and eligible students a reasonable amount of time to request that the school not disclose directory information about them . Schools must notify parents and eligible students annually of their rights under FERPA . The actual means of notification ( special letter , inclusion in a PTA bulletin , student handbook , or newspaper article ) is left to the discretion of each school .
Directory information is defined by FERPA as the following : Student ’ s Name , address , telephone number , student e-mail address , date and place of birth , major fields of study , participation in officially recognized activities and sports , weight and height of athletic team members , photograph , dates of attendance , degrees and awards received , most recent educational institution attended , and other similar information as defined by the University which would not generally be considered harmful to the student , or an invasion of privacy if disclosed .
For additional information , you may call 1-800-USA-LEARN ( 1-800-872-5327 ) ( voice ). Individuals who use TDD may use the Federal Relay Service .
Family Policy Compliance Office : U . S . Department of Education , 400 Maryland Avenue SW , Washington , D . C . 20202-8520
This policy may be found in its entirety at : http :// sienaheights . edu / About / DepartmentsOffices / RegistrarsOffice / PrivacyGuidelines ( FERPA ). aspx
Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog 2016-2018 8