Student Record Privacy — FERPA

Privacy and your educational records

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education.

A "student" is defined as 1) someone who has reached 18 years of age or 2) is attending college at any age. This means that all the rights that once belonged to the student's parent(s) transfer to the student at the college level. FERPA does state that the college may release information to the parent(s) of a student but is not required to do so. Information about how the college may disclose information to a parent can be found at the FERPA for Parents page.

Students have certain rights under FERPA. Specifically, it provides students the right to:

• Inspect and review their educational record within a reasonable time after the college receives a request for access. Students should contact the appropriate department that maintains the records to make appropriate arrangements.
• Request the amendment of inaccurate or misleading records. If students believe there is an error in their record, they should submit a statement to the official responsible for the record, clearly identifying the part of the record they believe is inaccurate or misleading and the reason why. The appropriate office will advise students on the appropriate steps.
• Consent to disclosure of personally identifiable information contained in their educational record, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. Student record information may be released upon receiving a FERPA Authorization for Release of information form from the student. More information is provided below regarding disclosures with student consent.
• File a complaint. We encourage students to file a Student Complaint if they believe there's a violation of their rights under FERPA. Students may also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by Waubonsee Community College to comply with this law.

FERPA permits disclosure without consent to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if they need information from your education record in order to fulfill their professional responsibilities.  Examples of those who may have access include: faculty, administrators, staff, and a person or company with whom the college has contracted.

FERPA permits disclosures of personally identifiable information without consent to schools in which a student seeks or intends to enroll, to federal, state, and local authorities in connection with an audit or evaluation of compliance with education programs, in connection with financial aid, to organizations conducting studies for or on behalf of educational institutions, to accrediting organizations, and to comply with a judicial order or subpoena. Under certain emergency situations, it may be necessary to release information to protect the health or safety of the student or other students.

The college may release certain categories of information known as directory information without the student's consent. Students have the right to prevent the release of directory information.

More information related to the FERPA regulation is available on the U.S Department of Education's website.