Office of the Registrar: FERPA
Notification of Student Rights under FERPA
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974,
as amended, affords students certain rights with respect to their
education records. They are:
- 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, vice president of academic
affairs, dean of enrollment management, academic department chair,
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.
- The right to request the amendment of the student's
education records that the student believes are inaccurate or
misleading.
Students may ask Fitchburg State College to amend a record that
they believe is inaccurate or misleading. They should write to
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.
- 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.
Fitchburg State College will disclose information from a student's
education records only with the written consent of the student,
except:
- To school officials with legitimate educational interests;
A school official is a person employed by the College in an
administrative, supervisory, academic, research, or support
staff position; a person or company with whom the College
has contracted to perform required functions (such as an attorney,
auditor, service provider, 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. 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.
- To officials of other institutions in which the student
seeks or intends to enroll provided that the student had previously
requested a release of his/her record;
- To authorized representatives of the U.S. Department of
Education, U.S. Department of Defense (under the Solomon Amendment),
U.S. Attorney General, INS, the Comptroller General of the
United States, state education authorities, organizations
conducting studies for or on behalf of the College, and accrediting
organizations;
- In connection with a student's application for, and receipt
of, financial aid;
- To comply with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena;
- To parents of dependent students as defined by the Internal
Revenue Code, Section 152;
- To appropriate parties in a health or safety emergency;
or
- To the alleged victim of any crime of violence of the results
of any disciplinary proceedings conducted by the College.
- The College may disclose the result of a disciplinary proceeding
to a parent or guardian as long as the student is under the
age of 21 at the time of the incident and the proceeding has
resulted in a violation of College drug or alcohol policies,
or any federal, state, or local law.
- To students currently registered in a particular class
section, the names and e-mail addresses of others on the roster
may be disclosed in order to participate in class discussion.
Fitchburg State College has designated the following items
as Directory Information: a student's name,
electronic mail address, local and permanent mailing addresses,
telephone numbers, date and place of birth, major and minor
fields of study, dates of attendance, enrollment status (full
or part time), certificates, degrees, honors and awards received
(including scholarships), date of actual or expected graduation,
whether or not currently enrolled, most recent educational
institution attended, participation in officially recognized
activities and sports sponsored by the College, weight and
height of athletic team members, and photograph.
The College may disclose any of these items without prior
written consent, unless the student has submitted a written
request to the Office of the Registrar not to release directory
information pertaining to them. Requests will be processed
within 24 hours after receipt.
- The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department
of Education concerning alleged failures by Fitchburg State College
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,
600 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20202-4605.
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