FERPA

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students certain rights with respect to their education records. They are:

1. The right to inspect and review the student’s records within 45 days of the day that the institute receives the request for access.

   Students should submit to the Registrar a written request that identifies the record(s) they wish to inspect. The Registrar will make arrangements for access and notify the students of the time and place where the records may be inspected.

2. The right to request an amendment of the student’s education records that the student believes is inaccurate or misleading.
   1. Students may ask the institution to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate or misleading. They should write the Registrar, clearly identifying the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading.
   2. If the institution decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, the institution will notify the student of the decision and 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.
   3. The process of amending the academic record only pertains to information that has been recorded inaccurately or incorrectly. It is not a process to appeal grades, disciplinary decisions, or other university decisions with which the student disagrees but which have been recorded accurately. Normal review and appeal channels must be used where the dispute is with the decision itself and not with the accuracy with which the decision or information has been recorded. Information pertaining to grade and disciplinary appeals may be found in the student handbook.
3. The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.
   1. One exception which permits disclosure without consent is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person whether volunteering for or employed by the institution in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position (including law enforcement unit personnel and health staff); a person or company with whom the institution has contracted (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent); staff in the Office of the Attorney General; 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.
   2. 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 responsibility.
4. The right to file a complaint with the United States Department of Education concerning alleged failures by Elon University to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the office that administers FERPA is:

   Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW Washington, DC 20202-4605

5. The institution will honor requests to withhold the information listed below but cannot assume responsibility to contact students for subsequent permission to release them. The institution assumes no liability for honoring instructions that such information be withheld.

   The items listed below are designated as Directory Information and may be released for any purpose at the discretion of the institution unless the student requests the information be withheld:

   1. Name, address, telephone number, dates of attendance, class, and electronic e-mail address.
   2. Previous institution(s) attended, major field of study, awards, honors (included Dean’s list), degree(s) conferred (including dates).
   3. Past and present participation in officially recognized sports and activities, physical factors (height, weight of athletes), date and place of birth.