FERPA Annual Notice to Students: Access to Student Records

Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion annually informs students of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), as amended. The Office of the Registrar will disclose FERPA information by publishing a notice on the College-Institute’s Registrar Website and in other appropriate locations. This annual notice shall prescribe the procedures whereby a student may make a formal request for non-disclosure of directory information, exercise the right to inspect and review education records, request an amendment of education records, and obtain a copy of the College-Institute’s education records policy. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students certain rights with respect to their education records. See Section “6” below on your right to prevent the disclosure of directory information.

The FERPA rights of students are:

1. The right to inspect and review your education records.
   Students should submit to the registrar, dean, head of the academic department, or other appropriate officials, written requests that identify the record(s) they wish to inspect. If the records are not maintained by the College-Institute official to whom the request was submitted, that official shall advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed. All such requests must be forwarded to the Office of the Registrar immediately for review. The Office of the Registrar, in coordination with the appropriate College-Institute officials and/or offices, shall ensure that requests to inspect and review education records are responded to in a timely manner. All requests shall be granted or denied in writing within 45 days of receipt. If the request is granted, you will be notified of the time and place where the records may be inspected. If the request is denied or not responded to within 45 days, you may appeal to the College-Institute’s FERPA appeals officer. Additional information regarding the appeal procedures will be provided to you if a request is denied. Schools are not required to provide copies of records unless, for reasons such as great distance, it is impossible for students to review the records. Schools may charge a fee for copies.
2. The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the student believes are inaccurate or misleading.
   You may ask the College-Institute to amend a record that you believe is inaccurate or misleading. You should write to the College-Institute official responsible for the record, clearly identify the part of the record you want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading. If the college decides not to amend the record as requested by you, the College-Institute will notify you of the decision and advise you of your right to a hearing before the College-Institute’s FERPA appeals officer regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to you when notified of your right to a hearing.
3. The right to consent to disclosure of personally identifiable information contained in your education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.
   One exception which permits disclosure without consent is disclosure to college officials with legitimate educational interests. A College-Institute official is a person employed by the College-Institute in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position; a person or company with whom the College-Institute has contracted; a person serving on the Board of Governors; or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another college official in performing his or her tasks. A College-Institute official has a legitimate educational interest if access is reasonably necessary in order to perform his/her instructional, research, administrative, or other duties and responsibilities. Upon request, the College-Institute discloses education records without consent to officials of another college or school in which a student seeks or intends to enroll.
4. You may appeal the alleged denial of FERPA rights to the:Office of the Registrar
   Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion
   3101 Clifton Avenue
   Cincinnati, Ohio 45220
5. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the College-Institute to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA are:Family Policy Compliance Office
   U.S. Department of Education
   400 Maryland Avenue, SW
   Washington, D.C. 20202-5920For additional information: www.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html
6. The College-Institute will make the following “directory information” concerning current and former students available to those parties having a legitimate interest in the information:*name
   *attendance dates (periods of enrollment)
   *address
   *telephone number
   *place of birth
   *photograph
   *email address
   *full- or part-time status
   *enrollment status (undergraduate, graduate, etc.)
   *level of education (credits) completed
   *major field of study
   *degree enrolled for
   *participation in officially recognized activities and sports
   *height and weight of athletic team members
   *previous school attended
   *degrees, honors, and awards receivedBy filing a “Request to Prevent Disclosure of Directory Information” form with the Registrar’s Office, current and former students may request that any or all of this directory information not be released without their prior written consent. This form is available in the Registrar’s Office and on the Registrar’s Office website and may be filed, withdrawn, or modified at any time.

Possible Federal and State Data Collection and Use

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.