ferpa-detectiveThe Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) 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 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. Students to whom the rights have transferred are “eligible students.”

These rights include:

(1) The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within 45 days of the day the School receives a request for access.

A student should submit to the registrar, dean, head of the academic department, or other appropriate official, a written request that identifies the record(s) the student wishes to inspect. The School 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 School 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 are inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy rights under FERPA.

A student who wishes to ask the School to amend a record should write the School official responsible for the record, clearly identify the part of the record the student wants changed, and specify why it should be changed.

If the School decides not to amend the record as requested, the school will notify the student in writing of the decision and the student’s 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 provide written consent before the School discloses personally identifiable information from the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.

The School discloses education records without a student’s prior written consent under the FERPA exception for disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the School 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 School has contracted as its agent to provide a service instead of using School employees or officials (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent); a person serving on the Board; or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks.

A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibilities for the School.

(4) The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the School to comply with the requirements of FERPA.

The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA is:

Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-5901

(5) Release of Directory Information

Under the provisions of FERPA, Baptist School of Health Professions is permitted to disclose directory information without consent.

"Directory information" includes: name, address, telephone number, email address, dates of attendance, enrollment status, and program of study. Directory Information is released at the discretion of the school. Students who do not wish directory information to be released must submit a written request to the Registrar by the end of the semester to prevent disclosure of directory information. Inquiries about the use of directory information or any other FERPA issues can be directed to the Family Policy Compliance Office by: