Overview

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), 20 USC § 1232(g), is a federal law that protects the confidentiality of student education records. Students who are 18 years of age or older, or who attend a postsecondary institution at any age have certain rights concerning their education records.

Student Rights Under FERPA

Under FERPA, students have the following rights:

The right to inspect and review their education records.

Students have the right to inspect and review their education records within forty-five (45) days of submitting a written request to FVSU’s Office of the Registrar.

The right to request an amendment of their education records.

If a student believes their education record(s) contains inaccurate or misleading information, they have the right to request an amendment.

The request must be submitted in writing, clearly identifying the part of the record to be amended and explaining why it is inaccurate or misleading.

The right to provide written consent before the disclosure of their education records.

FVSU will not permit access to or disclosure of any information from a student’s education records to anyone outside FVSU without the written consent of the student.

The right to opt out of the disclosure of their directory information.

Directory Information may be disclosed without prior consent unless the student has opted out.

The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Dept. of Education.

Students who believe FVSU has failed to comply with FERPA, may file a complaint with the U.S. Dept. of Education.

** All requests for FERPA related information and accompanying forms may be found in the FERPA Requests and Forms section of this webpage.

Directory Information

There are certain circumstances in which information can be released from a student’s education record without a student’s written consent, such as with “Directory Information.”  Directory Information is information that would not generally be considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed to the public.

FVSU and the University System of Georgia (USG) has designated the following categories of information as Directory Information:

  • Student’s name
  • Major field of study
  • Enrollment status (e.g. full-time, part-time)
  • Participation in officially recognized activities and sports
  • Dates of attendance
  • Degrees, honors, and awards received
  • The most recent educational institution attended
  • Height and weight of athletes
  • Class level
  • Hometown
  • Institution-assigned email address (an institution-assigned email address may be disclosed without consent only to other, current students. In addition, students may not request email listings of the entire student body or segments thereof, except for academic purposes)
  • Thesis/Dissertation title

The Solomon Amendment

The Solomon Amendment, 10 USC § 983, is a federal law that allows military recruiters to access some address, biographical, and academic program information about students aged 17 and older.

The U.S. Dept. of Education has determined that the Solomon Amendment supersedes most elements of FERPA. FVSU is obligated to release education records pursuant to the Solomon Amendment, which may or may not match FVSU’s Directory Information list, if the student has not submitted a request to opt-out of the information disclosure. Records under the Solomon Amendment that may be released are known as Student Recruitment Information.

FVSU has designated the following as Student Recruitment Information under the Solomon Amendment:

Student’s name

Age or date of birth (17 years of age or older)

Place of birth

Address (permanent)

Education level

Academic major

Telephone

Degrees received

Educational institution in which the student was most recently enrolled

 
FERPA Requests and Forms

  1. Release Authorization for Education Records

A student may make their education records (grades, GPA, financial aid information, billing information, or disciplinary information) accessible to third parties, like their parents or guardian, by completing a FERPA Release Authorization for Education Records Form.

  1. Directory Information Opt-Out

Students may prohibit the release of their directory information/student recruitment information without their consent. Students desiring to opt-out should complete the FERPA Directory Information Opt-Out Form.

  1. Release Authorization for Honor Ceremonies, Convocation, and Commencement

To celebrate student achievements FVSU may share limited student information (such as GPA or date of birth if the honoree is celebrating a birthday/is the oldest or youngest student at the time of the ceremony) during Honor Ceremonies, Convocation, and Commencement event. Students honored for their achievements must grant FVSU permission for their GPA and/or date of birth to be used in event programs, announcements, and other recognition materials.

Students desiring to release this information should complete the FERPA Release Authorization for Honor Ceremonies, Convocation, and Commencement.

**Students who do not submit the form may still participate in ceremonies, but their academic information will not be publicly disclosed.

  1. FERPA Records Inspection, Review, and Amendment of Education Records

Students have the right to inspect, review, and/or request an amendment of their education records within forty-five (45) days of submitting a written request. Students who wish to inspect, review, or request an amendment to their education records should complete the FERPA Records Inspection, Review, and Amendment Form.

5. FERPA Information Request Form

FERPA authorizes the release of directory or public information without a student's prior written consent under certain conditions. Third parties requesting directory information or student recruitment information, should complete the FERPA Information Request Form

 

Resources

Who should I contact if I have any questions regarding FERPA or the release of educational information?

All FERPA related matters and concerns should be directed to FVSU’s FERPA Privacy Officer, Mr. Preston Martin at preston.martin@fvsu.edu or legalaffairs@fvsu.edu.