Family
Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974
(
As Amended)
A federal statute,
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974 took effect
on November 19, 1974. Specifically, this statute governs (1) student access
to records maintained by educational institutions, and (2) release of such
records.
- Under the first
heading, student access to records, the law requires all educational
institutions to allow attending students and former students access to
their personal records.
- At Aurora
University the records of attending students include the general file
in the Academic Advisement Office or graduate program office, the permanent
academic record in the Registrar’s
Office, financial records in the Student Accounts Office, the financial
aid files in the Financial Aid Office, and where appropriate, the files
in the College of Education, and Career Resource Center.
- The files
of former students are found in the Alumni Office, Registrar’s
Office, and, where appropriate, in the College of Education, and
Career Resource Center.
- Specifically
exempted from viewing by the student are the financial records of students’ parents
and the confidential recommendations and statements written for and placed
in the file prior to January 1, 1975. A student may or may not sign a waiver
of his/her right to access to recommendations and statements written for
and about him/her after January 1, 1975.
- Copies of
student records will be furnished upon written request of the student.
Official transcripts of a student’s college academic record are available.
Student credentials maintained by the College of Education are
also available. The first set of five credential mailings are free of
charge; subsequent mailings are $2.00 per request. Other student records
for which copies are requested will be issued at a charge of $.25 per page
with a minimum charge of $2.00.
- The law requires
educational institutions to provide hearings for students to challenge
any record that they consider inaccurate or misleading. Aurora University,
in complying with this law, has established the following procedures for
implementing it.
- A student
must present a written request to see the contents of his/her files
to the appropriate office. An appointment will then be made for him/her
to read his/her file in the presence of a member of the university
staff. Identification will be required at the time of the appointment.
A student may read the contents of these files, but may not remove
or destroy any of the contents.
- A
university judicial board hearing may be requested by a student for
the purpose of challenging any record he/she considers inaccurate or
misleading, under the terms of General Campus Regulation Number 16.
The decision of university judicial board will be appropriately implemented
in all such cases. If the decision is not to amend the record, the
student will be allowed to place a written comment or explanation in
his/her file. If the contested portion of the file is disclosed to
anybody, the student’s
statement will also be disclosed.
- Under the second
heading, the release of student records, the law requires prior written
consent of the student before releasing personally identifiable data about
him/her from the records to other than a specified list of exceptions that
includes school officials, officials of other schools in which a student
seeks to enroll, parents of “income tax dependent” students,
appropriate government officials, accrediting organizations, in response
to a legal subpoena and to certain others if the knowledge of such information
is necessary to protect the health or safety of the student or other
persons.
- Excepted from
this requirement is “directory information,” including
the student’s name, address, telephone number,
date and place of birth, major field of study, participation
in officially recognized activities and sports, weight
and height of members of athletic teams, dates of attendance,
current registration, degrees, honors, and awards received,
and the most recent previous educational institution
attended by the student.
- Such information
may be made public once the institution gives notice of the
categories of information that it has designated
as such “directory information” and
allows a reasonable period of time after such notice
has been given for a student to inform the institution
that some or all of the information designated should
not be released without his/her prior written consent.
This announcement constitutes such public notice.
- A chart showing which school personnel have access to various records
may be found and inspected in any office containing student records.
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