Family Education and Rights Privacy Act (FERPA)

Annually, Luther Rice College & Seminary informs students of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as amended.  This Act, with which the institution intends to comply fully, was designated to protect the privacy of educational records.  The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students certain rights with respect to their education records.

If you would like to give Luther Rice personnel permission to discuss your information with a third party, please complete a FERPA release form and submit it to the Registrar's Office.

These rights include:

  1. The right to inspect and review the student's education records within 45 days of the day the College receives a request for access. Students should submit to the registrar, dean, head of the academic department, or other appropriate official, written requests that identify the record(s) they wish 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. Students have the right to see everything in their "education record," except:
     
    • Information about other students,
    • Financial records of parents,
    • Confidential letters of recommendation if they waived their right of access (which cannot be required).

     

  2. There is no record retention policy under FERPA. It does not state what records you must make or how long you must keep them. Those are institutional decisions. Students cannot destroy records once they are requested. Luther Rice College & Seminary reserves the right to charge students a reasonable fee.

  3. The right to request the amendment of the student's education records that the student believes is inaccurate or misleading. Students may ask the College to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate or misleading. They should write the College 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 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 when notified of the right to a hearing.

  4. 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 College 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 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; or parents/legal guardians of dependent students. 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 following is considered "Directory Information" at Luther Rice College & Seminary and will be made available to the general public unless the student notifies the Office of Student Records in person or in writing before the last day to add classes.

    Student's name, telephone numbers, all addresses, e-mail address, photo, place of birth, college, major, honors, awards, enrollment status, classification, dates of enrollment, degrees conferred, dates of conferral, graduation distinctions and the institution attended immediately prior to admission.

  5. Institutions may disclose education records or components thereof without written consent of students to:
     
    • authorized representatives of the following for audit and evaluations of federal and/or state programs - Comptroller General of the United States, The Attorney General of the United States, the Secretary of the Department of Education, state and local educational authorities (state and local officials to whom disclosure is specifically required by state statute adopted prior to November 19, 1974).
       
    • Veterans Administration officials
       
    • officials of other institutions at which a student seeks or intends to enroll, on the condition that the issuing institution makes a reasonable attempt to inform the student of the disclosure, unless the student initiates the transfer
       
    • persons or organizations providing financial aid to students or determining financial aid decisions, on the condition that the information is necessary to (1) determine eligibility for the aid, (2) determine the amount of the aid, (3)determine the conditions for the aid, or (4) enforce the terms and conditions of the aid.
       
    • accrediting organizations carrying out their accrediting functions
       
    • persons in compliance with a judicial order or a lawfully issued subpoena, provided that the institution makes a reasonable attempt to notify the student in advance of compliance. NOTE: the institution is not required to, and should not; notify the student if a federal grand jury subpoena, or any other subpoena issued for a law enforcement purpose, orders the institution not to disclose the existence or contents of the subpoena.
       
    • organizations conducting studies for, or on behalf of, education agencies or institutions to develop, validate and administer predictive tests, to administer student aid programs, or to improve instructions. Those organizations may not disclose personally identifiable information on students, and information secured must be destroyed when no longer need for their projects.

  6. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by Luther Rice College & Seminary 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, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20202-4605.