FERPA stands for Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (sometimes called the Buckley Amendment). Passed by Congress in 1974, the Act grants four specific rights to the adult student:
- The right to see information that the institution keeping on the student.
- The right to seek amendment to those records and in certain cases append a statement to the record.
- The right to consent to disclosure of his/her records.
- The right to file a complaint with the FERPA Office in Washington.
Information recorded in any form that is directly related to a student and maintained by a college or university and by those acting for the college or university.
- Personal information
- Enrollment records
- Grades
- Schedules
The storage medium in which you find this information does not matter. A student educational record may be:
- A document in the registrar's office
- A computer printout in your office
- A class list on your desktop
- A computer display screen
- Records of instructional, supervisory and administrative personnel kept in the sole possession of the maker of the record and not revealed to anyone other than the maker's substitute
- Records of a campus law enforcement unit created and maintained by that unit and used solely for law enforcement purposes
- Records relating to persons who are employees (but not student workers)
- Records kept and maintained by a health care professional, used solely in connection with treatment and disclosed only to individuals providing treatment
- Records which include information about an individual after he or she is no longer a student
- BCC must grant requests to review within a reasonable time but in no case more than 45 days after the request is received
- BCC must respond to reasonable requests for explanations and interpretations of the records
- A signed and dated document specifying the records to be disclosed, the purpose of the disclosure and the identity of the person to whom records will be disclosed
- For legitimate educational purposes within the university
- To officials at an institution in which student seeks to enroll
- To comply with a court order or subpoena
- In connection with a health or safety emergency if necessary to protect the student or others
- To parents of students who are dependents for income tax purposes
- If it is directory information
- To parents of a student younger than 21 years of age if the disclosure concerns discipline for violation of the campus drug and alcohol policy
To avoid violations of FERPA rules, DO NOT:
