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FERPA (Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act)
Notification of Rights

Faculty, Staff, & Administrators -- Find Out What You Need to Know about FERPA

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

1. The right to inspect and review the student's educational records within 45 days of the day the University receives a request for access.
   
   Students should submit to the registrar, dean, chair of the academic department, 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 whom the request was submitted, that person will 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 are inaccurate or misleading.
   
   Students 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, 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.
   
   Student requests for formal hearings must be made in writing to the Academic Vice President who, within a reasonable time of receiving such requests, will inform students of the date, place, and time of the hearing. The Academic Vice President, the Vice President for Student Affairs, the Dean of the Graduate School, and the academic dean of the student's college or school will constitute the hearing panels for challenges to the content of education records.
    
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 that 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 directors; 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.
   
   Upon request, the University discloses education records without consent to officials of another school in which a student seeks or intends to enroll.
    
4. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by John Carroll University to comply with the requirements of FERPA.
   
   Students may file complaints with The Family Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, 600 Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, D.C. 20202-4605.
    
5. The right to withhold directory information. The University has designated the following as directory information: student name, address (including e-mail address), telephone number, date and place of birth, major field of study, class year and enrollment status, dates of attendance, degrees and awards received, the most recent previous educational institution attended, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, and weights and heights of members of athletic teams.
   
   Students may refuse to allow the University to designate the above information about them as directory information by notifying the registrar in writing within two weeks after the first day of class for the fall semester. Students must submit an annual written notification of refusal to allow the designation of directory information.

Faculty, Staff, & Administrators -- Find Out What You Need to Know about FERPA