FERPA
About
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), as amended, is a federal law that sets forth requirements regarding the privacy of student records. FERPA governs the disclosure of student records maintained by an educational institution as well as access to those records. Students enrolled in any course offered by GGC through any method of delivery (i.e., campus/on-site, hybrid, partially online and fully online) are covered by FERPA. GGC defines an admitted student as one who is in attendance upon enrollment/registration for classes. Institutions that receive funds administered by the U.S. Department of Education are bound by FERPA requirements and failure to comply may result in the loss of federal funding.
Students
Students have four basic rights granted to them under FERPA.
- Inspect and review education records.
- Control the disclosure of education records.
- Seek to amend education records that are believed to be inaccurate or misleading.
- File a GGC non-compliance complaint to the federal government.
Education records are defined as records, files, documents and other materials that contain information directly related to a student and are maintained by GGC, or by a person acting for the college. Education records may be paper or electronic and include:
- Grades
- Class lists
- Student course schedules
- Disciplinary records
- Student financial records
- Payroll records (for student workers)
Students enrolled in any courses offered by GGC through any method of delivery (i.e., campus/on-site, hybrid, partially online and fully online) are covered by FERPA. GGC considers an admitted student to be in attendance upon enrollment/registration for classes. Thus, once a student meets these criteria, parents no longer have the right to access their student鈥檚 education records; however, students may elect to authorize access for their parent(s).
Students may authorize consent for their parent(s) and/or other third parties by signing a FERPA release form (PDF) and submitting it to Registration Services. The named individual(s) will have the ability to access and discuss the student鈥檚 educational records.
Please note that the rights of parents/third parties are limited only to access-designated educational records. It does not act as a power of attorney or proxy for any parent or third party (including attorneys) to act on behalf of the student.
For students who do not grant authorization to others, only directory information may be obtained. Directory information includes:
- Name
- Major(s)
- Advisor/mentor
- Dates of attendance
- Degrees awarded (including conferral dates)
- Awards and honors received
- Weight (student athletes)
- Height (student athletes)
- Participation in officially recognized activities or sports
Parents
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GGC recognizes that parents play a pivotal role in the lives of their students, and many of our students still financially rely on their parents; however, it is also GGC鈥檚 responsibility to assist students on their paths to success as independent adults. Helping to guide them towards that independence is essential in establishing life skills, both academically and otherwise.
Education records are defined as records, files, documents and other materials that contain information directly related to a student and are maintained by GGC, or by a person acting for the college. Education records may be paper or electronic and include:
- Grades
- Class lists
- Student course schedules
- Disciplinary records
- Student financial records
- Payroll records (for student workers)
Once a student is enrolled in any courses offered by GGC, through any method of delivery and the first day of the term in which those courses are being offered has passed, they are covered by FERPA. GGC considers an admitted student to be in attendance upon registration and the start of those registered classes. Thus, once a student meets these criteria, even if the student is under the age of 18, parents no longer have the right to access their student鈥檚 education records.
Students may authorize consent for their parent(s) and/or other third parties by signing a FERPA release form (PDF) and submitting it to Registration Services. The named individual(s) will have the ability to access and discuss the student鈥檚 educational records.
Please note that the rights of parents/third parties are limited only to access-designated educational records. It does not act as a power of attorney or proxy for any parent or third party (including attorneys) to act on behalf of the student.
Faculty / Staff
Faculty and staff are responsible under FERPA for protecting the privacy of student education records in all formats 鈥 electronic, oral and written.
Access to and disclosure of student information is limited to GGC officials who need it to perform their job responsibilities. A school official is a person employed by the institution in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position (including law enforcement unit personnel and health staff).
Records must not be accessed for personal reasons.
Student education records are confidential and cannot be released without the student鈥檚 written consent, unless a FERPA exception applies.
Examples of appropriate use/legitimate education interests are:
- Supporting a student鈥檚 education
- Providing services or benefits (e.g., housing, health care, counseling, financial aid, job placement)
- Managing student discipline
- Maintaining campus safety and security
- Supporting the effective functioning of the institution
At GGC, examples of student record information that generally should not be disclosed without prior written consent of the student are:
- Social security number (SSN)
- GGC 900 number/student ID number
- GGC student email address
- Grades, credit hours (attempted or earned)
- Grade Point average (GPA)
- Personal email addresses
- Residency status
- Tuition and fee payment records
- Financial aid records
- Marital status
- Race
- Gender
- Citizenship
- Parent鈥檚 name and address
- Current class schedule
- Disciplinary actions
- Academic actions
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To determine if a student has authorized release of their educational record to a parent or third party, please contact Registration Services at ggcregistrar [at] ggc.edu (ggcregistrar[at]ggc[dot]edu) to confirm that the student has a FERPA Release Form on file for said individual.
Employees may not disclose information contained in education records without the student鈥檚 consent, except under certain limited conditions. For example, the institution may disclose what's considered as 鈥渄irectory鈥 information 鈥 unless the student has restricted disclosure of such information.
Institutions are not required by FERPA to disclose directory information.
Solomon Amendment
The Solomon Amendment is a federal law that allows military recruiters to access selected addresses, biographical and academic program information on students aged 17 and older.
The Department of Education has determined the Solomon Amendment supersedes most elements of FERPA. GGC is therefore obligated to release student recruiting information, which may or may not match the college's FERPA directory information list.
Military recruiters may access the following information under the Solomon Amendment.
- Name
- Address
- Telephone
- GGC email address
- Age
- Native, naturalized or permanent resident of the US
- Level of education or class standing
- Academic major
Under the Solomon amendment, information will be released for military recruitment purposes only. Military recruiters may request student recruitment information once each term for each of the 12 eligible units within the five branches of the service:
- Army: Army, Army Reserve, Army National Guard
- Navy: Navy, Navy Reserve
- Marine Corps: Marine Corps, Marine Corps Reserve
- Air Force: Air Force, Air Force Reserve, Air Force National Guard
- Coast Guard: Coast Guard, Coast Guard Reserve
The request should be submitted in writing, clearly identifying the unit of service requesting the student recruitment information to Legal Affairs using the online open records request form.
The request should specify whether the information needed is for the current or previous semester.
To ensure the security of the data and privacy of GGC students, Registration Services will work with the requestor, once the request has been approved by Legal Affairs.
FERPA Annual Notification
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Students are granted certain rights to review and inspect their records, request amendments, consent to disclosure and file complaints about the college鈥檚 compliance with this law. Questions concerning this law and 91原创鈥檚 procedures regarding release of academic information may be directed to the Registrar's office.
Contact FERPA
Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-4605
The right to inspect and review the student鈥檚 education records within 45 days of the day the College receives a request for access. Pursuant to Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, students have the right to inspect their educational records and correct such records if necessary. Students desiring to review their records should make this request to the appropriate official in writing. Such written request will be granted within a period of no more than 45 days from the date of request.
The right to request the amendment of the student鈥檚 education records that the student believes are inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student鈥檚 privacy rights under FERPA. In the event the record contains inaccurate, misleading or otherwise inappropriate information, every effort will be made to correct or delete such material and the student will be so informed of such action in writing. Institutions may release information to governmental agencies for review for purposes of financial aid audits, National Student Loan Clearinghouse, etc. In the event of a subpoena, the institution may disclose information if the institution makes a reasonable effort to notify the eligible student of the order or subpoena in advance of compliance, so that the student may seek protective action, unless the disclosure is in compliance with a Federal grand jury subpoena. View complete information about the .
The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student鈥檚 education records, except to the extent that the Act and Sections 99.31 authorize disclosure without consent.
91原创 follows all policies governing the security and confidentiality of records as dictated by the Board of Regents. 91原创 does not publish a student directory; however the student鈥檚 name, major field of study, dates of attendance, and degrees conferred may be disclosed without consent of the student. For 91原创, this is the only information which could be considered 鈥淒irectory Information鈥 for FERPA or other purposes, including but not limited to external record requests.
In accordance with FERPA, the college permits disclosure without consent if the disclosure of information is to school officials with a legitimate educational interest, such as a person employed by the college in an administrative, supervisory, academic, research, or support staff position (including law enforcement personnel); a person or company with whom the college has contracted (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent); a person serving on the Board of Trustees; or a student serving on an official committee such as a disciplinary 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 educational record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility.
The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by 91原创 to comply with the requirements of FERPA.
CONTACT US
Contact us
Registrar
Grizzly Welcome Center (Bldg. D)
678.407.5700
ggcregistrar@ggc.edu
Address
Registrar, Bldg. D
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1000 University Center Lane
Lawrenceville, GA 30043
Hours
Monday 鈥 Friday
8 a.m. 鈥 5 p.m.
