In compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), VC does herby publish its policy regarding the implementation of this act. This publication of this policy in the VC General Catalog and in the Student Handbook is annual notification to students and parents concerning this act.
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students certain rights with the respect to their education records. These rights are listed below.
1. 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, dean, head of the academic department, 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.
2. The right to request the amendment of the student's education records that the student believes is inaccurate or misleading. Students may ask the College to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate or misleading. They should write 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/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.
3. 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. 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 College in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position (including law enforcement unit personnel and health staff); a person or company with whom the College 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, or assisting another school official in performing his/her tasks. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his/her professional responsibility. Upon request, the College discloses education records without consent to officials of another school in which a student seeks or intends to enroll.
4. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by Vernon College to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the office that administers FERPA is: Family Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington DC 20202-5901. Directory Information is information which may be released to the general public without the written consent of the student. A student may request that all or any part of the directory information be withheld from the public by making a written request to the Admissions and Records during the first 12 class days of a fall or spring 16-week semester. The following is to be included as directory information: name, date and place of birth, current and permanent address (including email address), telephone listing, major and minor fields of study, enrollment status (full-time, part-time), classification, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, dates of attendance, degrees and awards received, all previous educational agencies or institutions attended, and photographs.
Areas in which student records are maintained include the following: admission and academic records, Admissions and Records Office; financial aid records, Financial Aid Office; financial records, Business Office; advising, disciplinary and placement records, Student Services Counseling Office; and progress records, Faculty Offices.
Directory Information
Directory information is information which may be released to the general public without the written consent of the student. A Student may request that all or any part of the directory information be withheld from the public by making a written request to the Admission and Records Office during the first 12 class days of a fall or spring 16-week semester. The following is to be included as directory information: name, date and place of birth, current and permanent address (including e-mail address), telephone listing, major and minor fields of study, enrollment status (full-time, part-time), classification, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, date of attendance, degrees and awards received, a previous educational agencies or institutions attended, and photographs.
FERPA Annual Notice to Reflect Possible Federal and State Data Collection and Use
As of January 3, 2012, the U.S. Department of Education's FERPA regulations expand the circumstance under which your education records and personally identifiable information (PII) contained in such records - may be accessed without your consent. First, the U. S. Comptroller General, the U.S. Attorney General, and the U.S. Secretary of Education, or state and local education authorities ("Federal and State Authorities") may allow access of your records and PII without your consent to any third party designated by a Federal or State Authority related to evaluate a federal or state supported education program. The evaluation may related to any program is "principally engaged in the provision of education "such as early childhood education and job training, as well as any program that is administered by an education agency or institution. Second, Federal and State Authorities may allow access to your education records and PII without your consent to researches performing certain types of students, in certain cases even when we object to or do not request such research. Federal and State Authorities must obtain certain use-restriction and data security promises from the entities that they authorize to receive our PII, but the Authorities need not maintain direct control over such entities. In additional , the connection with Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems, State Authorities may collect, compile, permanently retain, and share without your consent PII from your educational records, and they may track your participation in education and other programs by linking such PII to other personal information about you that they obtain from other Federal or State data sources, including workforce development, unemployment insurance, child welfare, juvenile justice, military service, and migrant student records systems.