Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. 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.

Student Rights

1. The right to inspect and review the student's education records within 45 days after the day the College receives a request for access;
2. The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the student believes is inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy rights under FERPA;
3. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the College to comply with the requirements of FERPA. Written complaints may be addressed to the Family Policy Compliance Office, US Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave. SW, Washington, DC 20202-8520.
4. The right to provide written consent before the College discloses personally identifiable information (PII) from the student's education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. Schools may disclose records, without consent, to the following parties or under the following conditions:

• School officials with a legitimate educational interest as defined in detail within the FERPA Annual Notification (policy);
• To officials of another school where the student seeks or intends to enroll, or where the student is already enrolled if the disclosure is for purposes related to the student’s enrollment or transfer;
• To authorized representatives of the U. S. Comptroller General, the U.S. Attorney General, the U.S. Secretary of Education, or State and local educational authorities;
• In connection with financial aid for which the student has applied or which the student has received, if the information is necessary to determine eligibility for the aid, determine the amount of the aid, determine the conditions of the aid, or enforce the terms and conditions of the aid;
• To organizations conducting certain studies for or on behalf of the school;
• To accrediting organizations;
• To parents of an eligible student if the student is a dependent for IRS tax purposes;
• To comply with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena;
• To appropriate officials in connection with a health or safety emergency;
• Information the school has designated as “directory information”;
• To a victim of an alleged perpetrator of a crime of violence or a non-forcible sex offense;
• To the general public, the final results of a disciplinary proceeding; and
• To parents of a student regarding the student’s violation of any Federal, State, or local law, or of any rule or policy of the school, governing the use or possession of alcohol or a controlled substance if the school determines the student committed a disciplinary violation and the student is under the age of 21.

A complete copy of this policy is available at my.AlfredState.edu/registration under “Student Privacy” or by visiting www.alfredstate.edu/financial-aid/forms and selecting the link for “FERPA Annual Notification”.

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