FERPA

12.04 CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS (FERPA)

Purpose

To comply with all State and federal laws and regulations governing the confidentiality of student education records, health records, and other sensitive personal information.

Policy

Employees of Raritan Valley Community College may possess, and/or have access to, information that is confidential in nature regarding the College, its Board of Trustees, students, prospective students, parents of students, other employees, donors, and/or other individuals. Employees are not to disclose any such confidential information to (a) any other person in the College organization unless there is a legitimate employment- related reason for doing so; or (b) any person outside the College organization unless the appropriate officer(s) of the College have expressly stated that the information may be disclosed to that person. This obligation persists after an employee leaves the employment of the College.

Definitions

The term “student” is defined as any individual who is receiving, or ever has received, educational services from RVCC.

The term “employee” is defined as any individual who is receiving, or ever has received, compensation in any form for services rendered to RVCC.

The term “confidential information” is defined as any information which is not generally known to persons who are not officers, agents, Board members, or employees of the College; is not part of the public record; and has not been approved for release by the individual to whom the information pertains.

• “Confidential information” include, but are not limited to, names, social security numbers, other identification numbers, student grades, medical information, and/or financial information.

Procedure

Further Information Regarding FERPA Implementation

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 protects the privacy of education records, establishes the right of students to inspect and review their education records, and provides guidelines for contesting information in these records that is believed to be inaccurate or misleading.

Students have the right to inspect and review all of their education records maintained by the College. The College is not required to provide copies of records unless it is not reasonably convenient for students to inspect their records. Students have the right to request that the College correct records believed to be inaccurate or misleading.

If the College decides, in response to such a request, not to amend a student’s record, the student has the right to a formal hearing before the Dean of Student Affairs. After the hearing, if the College maintains its position that the student’s record should not be amended, the student has the right to enter a statement into his/her records commenting on the contested information.

The College will not release any confidential information from a student’s record without the written consent of the student, except for releasing information to:

• College officials with a legitimate educational interest
• Other institutions at which a student intends to enroll
• Certain government officials for the purpose of carrying out their lawful functions
• Appropriate parties involved with the awarding of financial aid to a student
• Organizations conducting appropriate research for the College
• Accrediting agencies
• Individuals who have obtained appropriate court orders or subpoenas
• Persons who have need for the information in cases of health and safety emergencies

The College may disclose Directory Information without the written consent of the student. Directory Information includes the following:

• Name, address, telephone number, and email address Date and place of birth
• Dates of attendance Enrollment status
• Previous institutions attended Major field of study
• Awards and honors
• Degrees and/or Certificates awarded including date of conferral
• Past and present participation in officially recognized College activities Height and weight of student athletes

Students may request the withholding of Directory Information. To ensure that such a request is properly processed, it must be submitted on the official “Request to Withhold Directory Information” form, which is available in the Office of Enrollment Services The request to withhold information will remain in effect until the student submits a signed authorization for the release of Directory Information.

Students have the right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning an alleged failure by the College to comply with the requirements of FERPA. For further information regarding the filing of complaints students should contact the Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20202

Authority

• Raritan Valley Community College draws its authority from the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA).

Responsible Administrator: Vice President for Student Affairs and Outreach

Revised

• January 2011
• January 2020

Communication – This policy is communicated to the College community in the following media:

• Electronic College Catalog
• College Website
• Electronic Faculty Handbook
• Electronic Student Handbook