7.1.1 Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
7.1 General Student Policies
FERPA -- Student Conduct
Code -- Services for Students
with Disabilities --
Standards of Academic Conduct -- Art Displays in Public
Areas
Awarding a
Posthumous Degree -- Releasing the
Transcript of a Deceased Student
7.1.1 Family Educational Rights and Privacy
Act (FERPA)
Ithaca College complies with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. This act was designed to protect the privacy of educational records, to establish the right of students to inspect and review their educational records, and to provide guidelines for the correction of inaccurate or misleading data through informal and formal hearings. FERPA affords every student the following rights with respect to his or her education records:
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The right to inspect and review the student's education
records within a reasonable period of time, but in no case
longer than 45 days once a student has submitted a request. A
student should submit to the registrar, dean, department
chairperson, or other appropriate official a written request that
identifies the records he or she wishes to inspect. The College
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 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. |
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Records Exempt: The law exempts from student access some
school records under specific conditions, which include |
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The right to request amendment of the student's education
record that the student believes is inaccurate or misleading. A
student may ask the College to amend any part of his or her record
that the student believes is inaccurate or misleading. The student
should write to the College official responsible for the record,
clearly identify the part of the record the student wants changed,
and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading. If the College
decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, the
College 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 upon notification of the right to a
hearing. |
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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. FERPA permits disclosure without consent to school
officials with legitimate interests. A school official is any
person employed by the College in an administrative, supervisory,
academic, research, or support staff position (including public
safety personnel and health services staff); a person or company
with whom the College 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. |
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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. Under certain emergency
situations, it may be necessary to release information to protect
the health or safety of the student or other students. |
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FERPA also 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. |
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Directory Information: In accordance with the act,
College policy limits disclosure of personally identifiable
information from the educational records of students (with the
exception of "directory information") to those instances authorized
by the act. In accordance with FERPA, Ithaca College has designated
the following list of student information as public or "directory
information": name, address, telephone number, e-mail address,
dates of attendance, class, full- or part-time status, previous
institutions attended, major field of study, awards, honors
(including dean's list), degrees conferred (including dates), past
and present participation in officially recognized sports and
activities, physical factors (height, weight of athletes), date and
place of birth, and ID pictures. Such information may be disclosed
by the College for any purpose, unless specifically requested not
to do so by the student. |
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A currently enrolled student may withhold disclosure of
directory information under FERPA by completing a request form
available at the Office of Student Affairs and Campus Life (340
Egbert Hall). Directory information will continue to be withheld
until the student rescinds this request. |
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Disclosure of Education Record Information to Parents: An
Ithaca College student has the opportunity to declare whether he or
she is independent or dependent for income tax purposes on the
enrollment confirmation form provided to all incoming freshmen and
transfer students at the time of their acceptance to Ithaca
College. If a student's status changes, he or she should notify the
Office of the Registrar. Ithaca College will disclose information
(including grades) from a student's education records to the
parents of an eligible student who claim that student as a
dependent for income tax purposes, unless there is a court order,
state statute, or other legally binding document prohibiting such
disclosure. If a student claims he or she is not a dependent, the
parents will need to submit their most recent federal income tax
form to the Office of the Registrar as evidence that the student is
a dependent. |
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The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by Ithaca College to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The office that administers FERPA is the Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, 600 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20202-4605. |
A complete copy of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act is available in the College library. Questions concerning FERPA may be referred to the Office of Student Affairs and Campus Life or the Office of the Registrar. Copies of this policy may be obtained in the Office of Student Affairs and Campus Life.
October 12, 2010
