Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (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 education records within 45 days of the day the University receives a request to access.
Students should submit to the appropriate Department Head or other appropriate official, written requests that identify 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 who the request was submitted, that official shall advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed.
2. The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the student believes is inaccurate or misleading.
Students may ask the University to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate or misleading. They should write the University official responsible for the record, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading.
If the University decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, the University 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 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.
One exception which permits disclosure without consent is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the University 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 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 school 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 or her professional responsibility.
4. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by State University or 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 D.C. 20202-4605
At its discretion the institution (UIU) may provide Directory Information in accordance with the provisions of the Act to include: student name, local and home address, University and other E-mail addresses, local and cellular telephone numbers, photographs, dates of enrollment, degrees and awards received, the most recent previous educational agency or institution attended by the student, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, date and place of birth, major field of study, academic classification, academic advisor’s name, and class schedule.
Students may request to have Directory Information withheld by notifying the Registrar in writing by using the Request to Prevent Disclosure of Directory Information form within one week after the first day of class for the Fall semester for Residential University students and within one week after the first day of the term for Academic Extension students. Requests to withhold Directory Information are valid for one year. After one year the disclosure request expires.
Upper Iowa University recognizes that parents have no inherent right to inspect a student’s educational record. The right to inspect is limited solely to the student.
Records may be released under the following circumstances: 1) through the written consent of the student; 2) in compliance with a subpoena; 3) by submission of evidence by the parent that the student is declared as a dependent on the parent’s most recent Federal Income Tax Form.
The institution is not required to disclose information from the student’s educational record to the parents of a dependent student. The University may, however, exercise its discretion to do so.
You can access the “Request to Prevent Disclosure of Directory Information” form from the Registrar’s Office. The form must be filed with the Registrar’s Office to be valid.
The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by Upper Iowa 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 D.C. 20202-4605
