Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act| FERPA

Directory Information

Lake Erie College may release directory information in accordance with the provisions of the law as defined in Title IX. Directory information is defined as the following relating to a student: name, address, telephone number, date and place of birth, academic major, dates of attendance, degree earned, honors, awards, scholarships, honor societies and Dean’s Lists, officially recognized activities or sports, and height and weight of members of athletic teams. Students have the right to request Lake Erie College to withhold any or all information designated as directory information. Written request to withhold specific information must be submitted to the Registrar within two weeks after the first day of class of the first semester as a student. Requests will be honored for one year. Authorization to withhold information for successive years must be filed annually with the Registrar.

Educational Records and FERPA

Educational records at Lake Erie College are those student records that are kept in the offices of the Registrar, Student Life, Admissions, Financial Aid, Advising, Academic Affairs and in the offices housing records of individual academic programs and advisors.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974 provides access for students to their educational records; permits them to challenge the accuracy of information in those records and limits the release of such information without their explicit consent. Lake Erie College makes available to students those records that students are entitled to review. The College affirms the importance of the confidentiality of student educational records.

Without written consent from the student, no unauthorized persons will have access to nor will the College disclose information from any student’s educational records other than that, which is classified as directory information. The exception to this would be persons or organizations providing student financial aid, accrediting agencies carrying out their accreditation duties, governmental representatives, persons acting in compliance with a judicial order and persons in an emergency acting to protect the health or safety of a student. The aforementioned exceptions are permitted under the law.

Within Lake Erie College, only College personnel acting in the students’ educational interest and within the limitation of their “need to know” are allowed access to students’ educational records.

Educational records do not include: records of instructional, administrative and educational personnel that are the sole possession of the maker and are not accessible or revealed to any individual except a temporary substitute; student health and personal counseling records; health records may be reviewed by physicians of the student’s choosing; student employment records and alumni records.

Students may not inspect financial information submitted by their parents or confidential letters and recommendations associated with admissions, employment or honors. The College will permit access only to that part of the record that pertains to the student requesting access. Lake Erie College does not permit access to confidential letters and recommendations placed in a student file prior to January 1, 1975. Consent to Release Education Records forms are available in the Registrar’s Office.

Student Notification of Rights

Educational records containing personally identifiable information are confidential and will not be released to third persons, except as authorized by law.

As of January 3, 2012, the U.S. Department of Education's FERPA regulations expand the circumstances under which your education records and personally identifiable information (PII) contained in such records — including your Social Security Number, grades or other private information — may be accessed without your consent.

First, the U.S. Comptroller General, the U.S. Attorney General, the U.S. Secretary of Education or state and local education authorities ("Federal and State Authorities") may allow access to your records and PII without your consent to any third party designated by a Federal or State Authority to evaluate a federal- or state-supported education program. The evaluation may relate to any program that 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 researchers performing certain types of studies, 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 your PII, but the Authorities need not maintain direct control over such entities.

In addition, in connection with Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems, State Authorities may collect, compile, permanently retain and share without your consent PII from your education 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. Students and parents, if dependent for Internal Revenue purposes, have a right (with certain exceptions) to inspect educational records as defined by the applicable statute. Application to inspect educational records should be made to the Registrar. If students believe their educational records are inaccurate, they have a right to a hearing on the merits to correct these records. If the outcome of the hearing also denies the request, students have the right to file a letter of rebuttal that will be maintained as a permanent part of the educational record. Students have the right to file complaints concerning failure by Lake Erie College to comply with the Acts Office, U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, 200 Independence Avenue, SW, Room 526-E, Washington, DC 20201. For further details concerning rights under the law, students should consult the Registrar.