FAMILY EDUCATION RIGHTS AND PRIVACY ACT 1974


Understanding FERPA

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA)

is a Federal law that protects the privacy of students within colleges and universities by limiting third party access to student education records. Education records protected under this law cannot be released without written and signed consent by the student. The law applies to all schools that receive federal funding under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education. Anyone with access to, or possession of, student education records is responsible for its proper handling.


Education Records & Directory Information

All records that pertain to a student, are maintained by Le Moyne College, and contain personally identifiable information are considered education records. These records are prohibited to be released to any third party without written consent of the student. Personally identifiable information includes, but is not limited to, the student's name, parent's name, other family members, and the student's social security number or student identification number.

FERPA permits the release of directory information to a third party without a student’s prior consent. “Directory Information [is] information contained in an education record of a student that would not generally be considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed.” (FERPA Regulations, Code of Federal Regulations, Title 34, § 99.3).

Directory Information at Le Moyne College:

Examples of NON-Directory Information
(protected under FERPA and cannot be shared without written consent from the student):

  1. Name
  2. Address
  3. Telephone number
  4. Le Moyne College email address
  5. Major field of study
  6. Achievements, degrees, academic awards, or honors
  7. Dates of attendance
  8. Enrollment status (ex. full-time or part-time)
  9. Level of study (Graduate or Undergraduate)
  10. Photograph/Video
  11. Weight and height if a member of athletic teams
  12. Participation in extra-curricular activities
  1. Ethnicity or race
  2. Gender
  3. Marital status
  4. Social security number or student identification number
  5. Course schedule
  6. Religious affiliation
  7. Grades/test scores
  8. Grade Point Average (GPA)
  9. Any student record not listed under Le Moyne College’s Directory Information

 


Directory Suppression

Only in the instance that a student has submitted a Directory Suppression Form to the College will all access to educational records and directory information be prohibited. Notification must be given prior to the 6th day of class and is effective until retracted by the student. During that time, no further disclosure of information about that student will be released without the student's prior written consent, except to parties who have legal access to student records without prior consent as stipulated by FERPA, § 99.31, 99.36, and 99.37.

 

NOTE: By submitting this form, you are withholding the release of your name and degree information during Commencement, in the College’s Commencement Book, and to the contracted photographer for the Ceremony. A directory suppression may be rescinded at any time by submitting your request in writing, and signed, to the Registrar’s Office.

FERPA allows schools to disclose student education records, without consent, to the following parties or under the following conditions (34 CFR § 99.31):

  • School officials with legitimate educational interest;
  • Other schools to which a student is transferring;
  • Specified officials for audit or evaluation purposes;
  • Appropriate parties in connection with financial aid to a student;
  • Organizations conducting certain studies for or on behalf of the school;
  • Accrediting organizations;
  • To comply with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena;
  • Appropriate officials in cases of health and safety emergencies; and
  • State and local authorities, within a juvenile justice system, pursuant to specific State law.


Student Rights

The College provides eligible students access to educational records directly related to the student, as well as an opportunity to challenge those records on the grounds that they are inaccurate or incomplete. This policy includes:

  • The right to inspect and review educational records within 45 days;
  • The right to seek to amend educational records;
  • The right to have some control over the disclosure of information from - educational records;
  • The right to obtain a copy of the institution's student records policy; and
  • The right to file a complaint with the Department of Education.

If an eligible student has a complaint that the College is violating FERPA (and the complaint cannot be satisfactorily resolved within the College), that student has a right to file a complaint with the Department of Education. The address is:

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act Office
Department of Education
400 Maryland Ave. SW, Room 3044
Washington, DC 20202
(202) 732-2057


Information for Parents/Guardians

FERPA gives parents certain rights with respect to their children's education records. These rights transfer to the student when he or she reaches the age of 18 or attends a school beyond the high school level. Le Moyne College recognizes the increasing interest from students to share their educational records with their parent(s)/guardian(s) and, as such, developed the Phinfo Proxy Access to foster this relationship. Although we strongly encourage involvement in our students’ education and experience at Le Moyne, we must also protect their rights under FERPA.

Phinfo Proxy Access is an online tool via Phinfo that allows students to control the access level for their educational records to third parties, including parents/guardians. There are five levels of access a student may grant a specific third party: 

  • Academics: Grades
  • General: General Information and Notifications 
  • Student Finance (Bursar): Account Activity, Account Summary, Make a Payment
  • Financial Aid: Offer Letter, Financial Aid Home, My Awards, FA Outside Awards, FA Required Documents, College Financing Plan
  • Tax Information: PDF Tax Statements, Electronic Consent History 
Students have the option to grant and rescind access at any time. 

For more information about the Phinfo Proxy Access, visit www.lemoyne.edu/registrar/parent


Information for Le Moyne College Employees

Educational records protected under FERPA must not be released to any third party other than the student in question and College officials who have legitimate educational interest. A legitimate educational interest includes:

  • Performing a task related to the student’s education;
  • Performing a task related to the discipline of the student;
  • Providing a service or benefit that relates to the student or student’s family (i.e. housing, health care, counseling, job placement, financial aid, etc.);
  • Maintaining the safety and security of the campus; or
  • Performing a task related to the effective functioning of Le Moyne College

As an employee of Le Moyne College, you have a legal responsibility to protect student educational records. This information is confidential and must not be used for personal reasons. Department Chairs who have access to student data that includes personally identifiable information cannot share this information with those outside of their department or those who do not qualify as having a legitimate educational interest in the student. Only educational information designated by the College in our Directory Information (see above) may be released without a student’s written consent. However, a student may choose to keep this information confidential by submitting a Directory Suppression form to the Registrar’s Office.

Please contact the Registrar’s Office (315-445-4456 or [email protected]) with any questions regarding FERPA or visit the U.S. Department of Education FERPA Overview. In addition, you may refer to the Department of Education’s list of FAQ’s and resources for post-secondary school officials.
 


DO NOT DO ANY OF THE FOLLOWING:

  • Disclose information to a student or College official before authenticating the identity of the person or level of access the person has been granted via Phinfo Proxy Access;
  • Disclose confidential, non-directory information, about a student to the media. The official spokesperson of the College is Joe Della Posta, Director of Communications, 315-445-4564;
  • Disclose a course roster to anyone for a commercial purpose outside of Le Moyne College;
  • Discuss confidential information, such as grades, in an email or over the phone;
  • Leave graded tests, papers, or other materials with personally identifiable information in a public area or for a student to pick-up;
  • Link the name of a student with that student’s ID number in any public manner;
  • Include a student’s grades or GPA in a recommendation letter without the written consent of the student;
  • Discuss the progress or standing of a student to anyone other than the student in question or the student’s advisor (refer inquiries from other individual’s to the Registrar’s Office, 315-445-4456);
  • Share a student’s schedule or assist anyone other than a Le Moyne College employee in locating  a student on campus (refer inquiries to Campus Security, 315-445-4444); individual’s to the Registrar’s Office, 315-445-4456);
  • Access records of any student for personal reasons; or individual’s to the Registrar’s Office, 315-445-4456);
  • Release your Le Moyne password for ANY reason.


 
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