Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act

 

 

 

 

 

Policy Statement

The University has an obligation to students to keep private education records confidential, to provide students appropriate access to their education records, and to provide students a process to ensure the accuracy of their records.

 

Purpose of Policy

This policy is intended to ensure the University follows Federal privacy laws, including the provisions of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

 

Applicability

This policy applies to faculty, staff and students.

 

Policy Procedure

Students enrolled at Southeastern Louisiana University are hereby notified of their rights of access to their official records as described in the 1974 Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (Section 513, P.L. 93-380, Educational Amendment of 1974, amending the General Education Provisions Act, Section 438, and amended by Section 2 of P.L. 93-568).

Students desiring access to their education records shall make a request in writing to the appropriate office. Requests concerning:

1. admissions and academic records should be made to the Office of the Registrar;
2. financial records should be made to the Controller;
3. financial aid records should be made to the Director of Financial Aid;
4. career service, counseling, disciplinary and security records should be made to the Vice President for Student Affairs;
5. school and departmental records should be made to the Dean of the appropriate college;
6. employment records should be made to the Director of Financial Aid;
7. health records should be made to the Head Nurse, Health Center.

Parents are permitted access to education records with the prior written consent of the eligible student or without the prior written consent of the eligible student if that student is a dependent. Additionally, the University reserves the right to contact parents of students who are under 21 years of age if the student has been involved in a violation of the University's alcohol or drug policies.

A student who wishes to ask Southeastern Louisiana University to amend a record should write the director of the appropriate office, clearly identify the part of the record the student wants changed, and specify why it should be changed.

If the University decides not to amend the record as requested, the University will notify the student in writing of the decision and the student’s 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.

Under the provisions of the Act, certain information designated as “Directory Information” concerning the student may be released by the University unless the student has informed the University that such information should not be released.

Southeastern Louisiana University may release the following Directory Information: The student's name, address(es), university email address, telephone number(s), dates of enrollment, college or school, classification, enrollment status, major, degree(s) earned, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, the most recently attended educational agency or school, and photograph.

Any person who wishes to have the above listed information withheld should submit a written request to the Office of the Registrar at any time. To keep the directory information from being included in various University publications, such requests should be made before the end of the drop/add period for each semester.  Students who requested that their directory information be withheld may change their position at a later date by notifying the Office of the Registrar in writing.  Please note: requesting to withhold the release of directory information means that a student’s history at Southeastern Louisiana University will be suppressed in full, preventing the verification by future employers and others of degrees earned.

As provided in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, Southeastern Louisiana University may disclose information to parents of students upon the parents' establishment of the student's dependency as defined by the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, Section 152. The required form of proof is a certified (notarized) copy of the parents most recent Federal Income Tax form.

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, 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 agency); a person serving on the Board of Supervisors; or a student serving on an official committee, such as 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.

The University may also release personally identifiable information from the education records of a student to appropriate parties in connection with an emergency if knowledge of the information is necessary to protect the health or safety of the student or other individuals.

Students have the right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by State Universities to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA are:

Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Ave., SW
Washington, DC 20202-4605

If further information is desired, contact the Office of the Registrar.