Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act Information

Wilson Community College supports the rights and privacies afforded each student by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) and is in compliance with its provisions. FERPA affords eligible students certain rights with respect to their education records. An “eligible student” under FERPA is a student who is 18 years of age or older OR who attends a postsecondary institution.

These rights include:

• The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within 45 days after the day the College receives a request for access. A student should submit a written request to the Director of Admissions/Registrar, that identifies the record(s) the student wishes to inspect. The College will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected.
• The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the student believes is inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy rights under FERPA.
  A student who wishes to ask the College to amend a record should submit a written request to the Director of Admissions/Registrar, clearly identify the part of the record the student wants changed, and specify why it should be changed.
  If the College determines that a requested amendment is not warranted, the student will be notified in writing of the decision and the 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.
• The right to provide written consent before the College discloses personally identifiable information (PII) from the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. The College discloses education records without a student’s prior written consent under the FERPA exception for disclosure to College officials with legitimate educational interests. A College official is a person employed by the College in an administrative, supervisory, academic, research, or support staff position; a person serving on the board of trustees; or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee. A College 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 College.
• The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the College 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

Directory Information

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a Federal law, requires that Wilson Community College, with certain exceptions, obtain written consent prior to the disclosure of personally identifiable information (PII) from education records. However, the College may disclose appropriately designated “directory information” without written consent, unless you have advised the College to the contrary in accordance with College procedures. The primary purpose of directory information is to allow the College to include this type of information in certain College publications.

Examples include:

• A program for College-related activities and events;
• President’s List, Dean’s List, or other recognition lists;
• Graduation programs

Directory information, which is information that is generally not considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if released, can also be disclosed to outside organizations without a student’s prior written consent. The following information is classified as directory information:

• Student’s name
• Address
• Telephone number
• Email address
• Academic program (degree, major, minor)
• Dates of attendance
• Enrollment status (full or part-time)
• Degree(s) received
• Honors and awards received
• Participation is college-recognized activities
• Most recent educational institution attended

The College reserves the right to restrict disclosure of directory information to outside organizations that may use the information for profit.

NOTE: Any student who does not wish the College to release any or all of the information designated as directory information without the student’s written consent, must notify the Director of Admissions/Registrar in Building F.

Additional information about FERPA and the release of information can be found in the College Catalog.

FERPA forms must be submitted electronically through the Wolf Connect Students Portal. Once logged into the portal, go to Forms in the top menu, scroll down to Student Records, and complete the FERPA Release Form.