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The Family Educational Rights and
Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, is a
federal law which sets forth
requirements aimed at protecting the
privacy of educational records.
Education records are defined as those
records which directly relate to a
student and are maintained by an
educational agency or institution or by
a party acting on behalf of that
institution. Any educational institution
that receives funds under any program
administered by the U.S. Secretary of
Education is bound by FERPA
requirements. Students have the
following inherent rights under FERPA:
- Control the disclosure of their
“education records” to others
- Inspect and review their
“education records”
- Seek amendment to their
“education records”
- File a complaint with the
Department of Education
Once students are enrolled at MWSU,
FERPA rights transfer to the student,
regardless of the student’s age.
In the absence of an official
request, information contained in a
student’s records remains confidential
between the student and MWSU and will
not be released to third parties without
the consent of the student, with the
following exceptions:
- as directory information;
- to school officials with
legitimate education interest;
- to schools which the student is
seeking admission;
- to organizations conducting
studies of or on behalf of
educational institutions;
- to federal, state or local
education authorities;
- in connection with the receipt
of financial aid;
- to accrediting agencies;
- to comply with a judicial order
or subpoena;
- in health or safety emergencies
- results of a disciplinary
hearing to an alleged victim of a
crime of violence
- to parents of students under the
legal drinking age if caught
possessing or using alcohol or drugs
Missouri Western State University
defines directory information as:
- name;
- mailing address;
- telephone;
- campus e-mail address;
- date of birth
(month/day);
- major or field of study;
- dates of attendance;
- enrollment status;
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- anticipated graduation
date;
- classification;
- degrees awarded;
- honors awarded;
- previous institutions
attended;
- participation in
activities/sports;
- weight/height of
athletes.
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Currently enrolled students may
withhold disclosure of information under
the Family Educational Rights and
Privacy Act of 1974, as amended. To
withhold disclosure, written
notification must be received in the
Office of the Registrar (Eder Hall 102).
A hold will not apply retroactively and
will remain valid until the student
submits notification in writing, stating
otherwise. Missouri Western assumes that failure
on the part of any student to
specifically request the withholding of
“Directory Information” indicates
individual approval for disclosure.
Request for records inspection should be
directed to the official in charge of
maintaining the record. The personally
identifiable educational records of each
student and former student maintained by
the university are open for inspection
by the student, except in limited cases
where privacy, confidentiality, or
professional privileges of another
person is involved.
The student may challenge an
inaccurate record and request a hearing
concerning any alleged inaccuracy
contained therein. Any challenge must
establish by a preponderance that the
record is inaccurate. If desired, the
student may submit a written explanation
of a record's content, which then
becomes a part of the record. Additional
information regarding FERPA may be
obtained from the Office of the
Registrar, Eder 102 or the University’s
Risk Manager, Popplewell 221. |
