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(Consumer Information Disclosure)
FERPA
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education. FERPA also affords students certain rights.
STUDENT RIGHTS UNDER FERPA
1. The Right to Inspect and Review Education Records.
A student may inspect and review his/her education records by completing an Education Record Request Form and submitting to Student Services. (See IECC's FERPA Policy for the definition of an education record.)
Student Services personnel will comply with this request within 45 days, but generally will not exceed 7 working days after the request has been made. Records requested and approved for release may be inspected at the campus during normal office hours, Monday through Friday, except on designated holidays or other posted closings.
Except as limited under the Act, IECC may not deny access to education records without providing a description of the circumstances in which there is a legitimate cause to do so.
Copies of education records can be obtained at a cost of 25 cents per page plus postage, if applicable. To obtain a copy of an IECC transcript, a student must follow the appropriate procedure and pay the transcript fee.
2. The Right to Request Amendment of Education Records.
A student who believes that information contained in his/her education records is inaccurate, misleading, or violates his/her privacy or other rights, may submit a written request to the Record's Office for an amendment. The student must clearly identify the specific part of the record to be amended and explain why the record should be amended. Within 10 working days from the receipt of the request, a decision will be made whether to amend the record. If the request is denied, the student will be informed and advised of their right to a hearing. Additionally, the student has the right to add a statement to the record commenting on the contested information or stating why he/she disagrees with the decision. Future disclosures that would include this education record must include the student’s statement.
3. The Right to Consent to Disclose Personally Identifiable Information (PII) Contained in Education Records
As a general rule, and in compliance with FERPA, PII will not be released to anyone. However, a student has a right to request and consent to the release of his/her information to others. Students may consent to the disclosure of PII by completing a Release of Information Form and submitting to Student Services. Note: FERPA allows for the release of PII contained in education records, without student consent, in some instances; these are outlined in IECC's FERPA Policy.
4. The Right to Restrict the Release of Directory Information.
Unlike personally identifiable information, directory information may be released from a student’s education record upon the request of an outside party, without consent of the student. IECC takes its responsibility to safeguard the privacy of all students very seriously; therefore, all requests by outside parties for student directory information will be considered on an individual basis. As a condition for releasing directory information without permission, public notice is given annually to all students. Students wishing to restrict release of directory information must file the Directory Information Restriction Notification form with Student Services. A complete list of directory information is found within this form (and in IECC's FERPA Policy). Before completing the form, please read the Consequences of Restricting Directory Information: Carefully consider the consequences of your decision to restrict Directory Information, as all requests for such information from non-institutional persons or organizations will be refused. This will prevent any verification for purposes of employment, loans, credit card applications, insurance, etc. Furthermore, your name will not appear in the commencement program or similar announcements. IECC has the intent to honor requests of students who wish to restrict Directory Information and assumes no liability for honoring your instructions that such information be restricted.
5. The Right to File a Complaint.
If a student believes his/her rights have been violated, he/she may file a complaint with the college president or their designee. A student may also file a written complaint with the Family Policy Compliance Office at the address listed below:
Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW. Washington, DC 20202-5920
For questions or requests related to a student's education records, visit the Student Services Office at the campus of attendance.