Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) 

FERPA assures protection of student data and access to individual student data by the individuals for whom it is being kept. During the admission process, new students gain access to a FERPA disclosure in which they can indicate if anyone else should be granted access to their academic records. Unless, at some subsequent point we receive a written statement to the contrary, then we honor that disclosure during the duration of the student's enrollment.

Notification of Rights Under the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords eligible students certain rights with respect to their education records. Education records are records directly related to a student which are maintained by the Institutions.

Students’ rights with regard to their educational records include the following:

1. The right to inspect and review the student's education records within 45 days after an Institution receives a request for access.
   • Procedure to inspect and review records
2. The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the student believes are inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy rights under FERPA.
   • Procedure to amend an educational record
3. The right to provide written consent before the Institutions disclose personally identifiable information (PII) from the student's education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.
   • FERPA Disclosure Form  (sign in required)
   • Definition of school official
   • Disclosure of Personally Identifiable Information 
   • Directory Information
4. A school 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 Institution.
5. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the Institution 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

6. Students who do not want directory information to be disclosed by their Institution may notify the Office of Student Records and Registration in writing.  The notification must be received within 30 calendar days from the first scheduled day of class of fall term. All written requests for non-disclosure will be honored by the Institutions for one (1) academic year; therefore, authorization to withhold directory information must be filed annually.

• Request to be removed from the directory 

Parent Right to Information

FERPA gives parents certain rights with respect to their children's education records. These rights transfer to the student when he or she reaches the age of 18 or attends a school beyond the high school level. Students to whom the rights have transferred are "eligible students."

Parents of dependent students are entitled to information on the progress of their sons and daughters. Upon receipt of a request for such information, the Office of Student Records and Registration will forward the student's grade report to the requesting parent. Dependency is determined by federal Internal Revenue Service criteria.

Compliance with Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974

If a CSB/SJU student signs a FERPA disclosure with the Office of Student Records and Registration, it gives parents the right to request academic information regarding their daughter or son. Parents must contact the Office of Student Records and Registration to request academic information. A request for a copy of their grade report much be made in writing to registration@csbsju.edu. Requests for transcripts require the student's signature and parents may not request them.

While respecting the confidentiality of information imparted to advisers and counselors, the colleges assert their right to inform parents of a student's academic performance or conduct if this seems to be in the best interest of the student and the colleges. Such information will be given in compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

Non-Discriminatory Access

All students have non-discriminatory access to the financial assistance, facilities, activities and programs available at the colleges. The right is reserved, however, to deny admission or continued enrollment to any student who imposes an unreasonable risk of harm to the health, safety, welfare or property of the individual student, of the colleges or their processes or of other members of the college communities.

The Student Right to Know Act is entirely different. It provides information to students, parents and the general public about such topics as graduation rates and campus crime rates that will enable them to make informed decisions about the colleges. Such information is routinely published in a variety of sources, including the student newspapers and the local and regional press.