FERPA
Notice of Student Rights with Respect to Education Records (FERPA)
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords you certain rights with respect to your education records. These rights include:
1) The right to inspect and review your education records (with certain limited exceptions) within 45 days of the day Davidson College receives your request for access. You should submit any such request to the Registrar's Office in writing, identifying the records you wish to inspect. The Registrar's Office will make arrangements for access and notify you of the time and place where the records may be inspected. Records that are customarily open for student inspection will be accessible without written request.
2) The right to request the amendment of your education records if you believe them to be inaccurate. You should submit any such request to the Registrar's Office in writing, clearly identifying the records that you want to have amended and specifying the reasons you believe them to be inaccurate. The Registrar's Office will notify you of its decision. (Grade appeals are handled differently. Please see the Registrar's web site for more information or contact the Registrar's Office.)
3) The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in your education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.
4) The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by Davidson 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, D.C., 20202-4605.
One such exception permits disclosure to "school officials" with "legitimate educational interests." A "school official" is any person employed by Davidson College in any administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position (including public safety and student health services staff); any person or company with whom Davidson College has contracted to provide a service to or on behalf of Davidson College (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent); any person serving on Davidson's Board of Trustees; or any 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 the official's professional responsibility.
Another such exception permits Davidson College to disclose your "directory information", consisting of your name; local, home, and e-mail addresses; local, home, and mobile telephone number; major field of study (to include minors and interdisciplinary minors); enrollment status and class; dates of attendance; anticipated degree and degree date; degrees, honors, and awards received; participation in officially recognized activities and sports; most recent educational agency or institution attended; photographs and videos; eating house affiliation; Banner ID number, and weight and height of members of athletic teams, to anyone within the Davidson College community and to the general public. Students who wish to have their directory information withheld must notify the Registrar's Office in writing. (Please note that such a notification will prevent Davidson College from providing your directory information to your friends, prospective employers, and others with whom you may wish us to share such information, so make your decision carefully.) You may give such notification at any time, but it will be effective only prospectively. Students who do not wish to have their address (or other information) published in the student directory must notify the Registrar's Office annually by no later than seven days after the beginning of classes.
Upon request, Davidson College also discloses education records without consent to officials of another school in which a student seeks or intends to enroll or where the student is already enrolled so long as the disclosure is for purposes related to the student's enrollment or transfer. Information on other such exceptions is available through the Registrar's Office.
Note: Davidson College classifies a person as a student as of the first day of class.
Faculty and Staff Research Waiver
Faculty and staff conducting research with FERPA protected information must complete the appropriate waiver.
Student Research Waiver
Students conducting research with FERPA protected information must complete the appropriate waiver.
Quick Reference
This handout outlines what information can and cannot be shared.
Software Vendors
Please reference this sample when discussing the sharing of student data with outside vendors. Always contact Technology & Innovation when working on software contracts.
Email Signature Text
Please consider adding this text to your email signature.