Family Education Rights and Privacy Act
FAMILY EDUCATION RIGHTS AND PRIVACY ACT
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) affords eligible students certain rights with respect to their education records. They are as follows:
- The right to inspect and review the student�s education records (provided the student has not waived this right) within 45 days of the day the university receives a request for access.
Students should submit to the registrar, dean, head of the academic department, or other appropriate official, a written request identifying the record(s) they wish to inspect. The university official 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 university 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 or misleading.
Students may ask the university to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate or misleading. To challenge the accuracy of an education record, the student should write to the registrar or other university official responsible for the record, and clearly identify the part of the record he/she wants changed and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading. If the university official decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, the university official will notify his/her vice president. The vice president will then notify the student of his/her right to a hearing regarding the request for an amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the student when notified of a right to a hearing.
Note: The challenge of a student under this paragraph is limited to information which relates directly to the student and which the student asserts is inaccurate or misleading. With regard to a student�s grade, this right does not permit the student to contest a grade on the grounds that a higher grade is deserved, but only to show that the grade has been inaccurately recorded.
- The right to consent to the disclosure of personally-identifiable information contained in the student�s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.
One exception which permits disclosure without consent is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interest. A school official is a person employed by the university; a person or company with whom the university has contracted (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent); a person serving on the board of trustees; or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another university official in performing his or her tasks. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his/her professional responsibilities.
Upon request, the university discloses education records without consent to officials of another school in which a student seeks or intends to enroll.
- The right to refuse to permit the designation of any or all of the following categories of personally-identifiable information as directory information, which is not subject to the above restrictions on disclosure: student�s full name, home address and telephone number, campus address and telephone number, campus e-mail address, state of residence, date and place of birth, marital status, academic class, class schedule and class roster, name of advisor, major field of study, including the college, division, department or program in which the student is enrolled, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, dates of attendance and graduation, degrees and honors and awards received including selection to a dean�s list or honorary organization and the grade point average of students selected, and the most previous educational institution attended. Photographic, video, or electronic images of students taken and maintained by the university are also considered directory information.
Directory information may be disclosed by the university for any purpose, at its discretion. Any student wishing to exercise his/her right to refuse to permit the designation of any or all of the above categories as directory information must give written notification to the Registration Services Office (E-206 Martin Hall) by the last day to register for the enrollment period concerned as published in the Clemson University calendar.
- The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by Clemson 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, 600 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20202-4605.
