Annual Notification of Rights Under FERPA

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. FERPA affords eligible students certain rights with respect to their education records. These rights include:

1. The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within 45 days of the day Agnes Scott 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 Agnes Scott 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 Agnes Scott official to whom the request was submitted, that official shall advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed. A student does not have the right to inspect and review the following education records:
   1. Financial records, including any information those records contain, of his or her parents;
   2. Confidential letters and confidential statements of recommendation placed in the education records of the student before Jan 1, 1975, as long as the statements are used only for the purposes for which they were specifically intended;
   3. Confidential letters and confidential statements of recommendation placed in the student’s education records after Jan. 1, 1975, if:
      1. The student has voluntarily signed a waiver of right to inspect and review those letters and statements
      2. Those letters and statements are related to the student's:
         1. Admission to an educational institution
         2. Application for employment
         3. Receipt of an honor or honorary recognition
2. The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the student believes are inaccurate or misleading.
   
   Students may ask Agnes Scott to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate or misleading. They should write the Agnes Scott official responsible for the record, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading. If Agnes Scott decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, Agnes Scott will notify the student of the decision and advise the student of his or 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 disclosures without consent.
   
   One exception that permits disclosure without consent is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by Agnes Scott 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 Agnes Scott 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, 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 responsibility. Upon request, Agnes Scott 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 Agnes Scott College to comply with the requirements of FERPA.
   
   The office that administers FERPA is:
   
   Family Policy Compliance Office
   U.S. Department of Education
   400 Maryland Avenue, SW
   Washington, DC 20202
   
   Certain information is considered public and is released by Agnes Scott at its discretion. In accordance with FERPA, Agnes Scott has designated the following information as "directory information" that may be released without the student’s consent:
   • name
   • permanent home address
   • campus email address
   • major field of study
   • enrollment status/anticipated completion date
   • dates of attendance
   • degrees and awards received (including honor rolls)
   • participation in officially recognized activities and sports
   • photographs, video, and digital images

Agnes Scott's Online Phone Directory (OPD) includes cell phone number. OPD is a private, password protected, online campus directory that is only accessible to Agnes Scott College Faculty, staff, and students who have a current network account, and OPD is for internal use only

Students may choose to exclude some or all of their directory information, including the photograph, from disclosure by filling out a data exclusion request form in the Office of the Registrar. Failure on the part of a student to specifically request the withholding of information indicates approval for disclosure.