The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) 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 university receives a request for access. The student should submit to the registrar, dean, head of the academic department, or other appropriate official, written requests that identifies the record(s) he/she wishes to inspect. The university official will arrange 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 university official to whom the request was submitted, that official will 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 the university to amend a record that he/she believes is inaccurate or misleading. The student should write the university official responsible for the record, clearly identifying the part of the record he/she wants changed, and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading. Any request for grade changes must follow the procedure as outlined in the catalog.
If the university decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, the university will notify the student of the decision and advise the student of his or her rights 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 the disclosure 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 university in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position; a person or company with whom the university 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.
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 the university. Upon request, the university will disclose education records, without consent, to officials of another school in which a student seeks to enroll.
- The right to refuse to permit the designation of any or all of the following categories of personally identifiable information as directory information, which is not subject to the above restrictions on disclosure:
a. Name, home address, home telephone listing, and campus email address
b. State of residence
c. Age and date and place of birth
d. Sex and marital status
e. Name of advisor
f. Name and address of parent(s)
g. Major field of study
h. Classification as a freshman, sophomore, junior, senior or graduate student
i. Class schedule and class roster
j. Participation in officially recognized activities and sports
k. Weight and height of members of athletic teams
l. Dates of attendance and graduation, and degrees received
m. The most recent educational institution attended
n. Honors and awards received, including selection to a dean’s list or honorary organization, and the grade point average of students selected
o. Photographic, video, or electronic images of students taken and maintained by the university.
- The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the university 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, D.C., 20202-4605.
The categories of information in Paragraph 4 are designated directory information. Students may prevent the release of any or all of the categories of directory information specified in Paragraph 4 above by notifying the vice president for student development, in writing, of the categories of information the student does not want disclosed. Notification must occur within ten calendar days of the first scheduled day of class for the fall or spring term. The university will honor all written requests for nondisclosure of one academic year; therefore, students must make requests for nondisclosure annually.
Because Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota accepts federal Department of Education monies, parents or guardians may not have access to their student’s educational records unless the student is 17 years of age or younger, or the student has signed a consent to disclosure or the student is a dependent for tax purposes. In order for a parent or guardian to receive information about their student’s progress, Saint Mary’s University must have on file a Consent to Disclosure signed by the student. These consent forms may be obtained from Student Services, or the Office of Student Development. |
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