FERPA

 

Each semester, GBC informs students of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), as amended, in the catalog, student handbook, and in an email to current students. This act was designed to protect the privacy of educational records and to provide guidelines for the correction of inaccurate or misleading data through informal and formal hearings—this does not, however, include challenging the fairness of a grade. The law also provides the student with the right to inspect and review all information in his/her educational record and have some control over the disclosure of information from their educational records (an educational record is defined as a record directly related to the student and is maintained by the institution or a party acting for the institution).

 

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) afford students certain rights with respect to their education records. These rights include:

• The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within 45 days of the day the college receives a request for access.
• A student should submit to the Director of Admissions/Registrar, Dean, head of the Academic Department, or other appropriate officials a written request that identifies the records the student wishes to inspect. The college officials will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. If the records are not maintained by the college official to whom the request was submitted, that official shall advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed.
• The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the student believes are inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy rights under FERPA. A student who wishes to ask the college to amend a record should write the college official responsible for the record, clearly identify the part of the record the student wants changed, and specify why it should be changed. If the college decides not to amend the record as requested, the college will notify the student in writing of the decision and the student’s right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedure will be provided to the student when notified of the right to a hearing.
• The right to provide written consent before the college discloses personally identifiable information from the student’s education records—except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. (See page 5-6 for a full description of this right and the disclosure opt out form).
• 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. The name and address of the office that administers FERPA is:

 

When discriminatory conduct or sexual harassment involves a crime of violence or a non-forcible sex offense, FERPA permits the institution to disclose in accordance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Police and Campus Crime Statistics Act, 20 U.S.C. §1092 (f). 34 CFR 668.46 (Clery Act).