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FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) was enacted in 1974. It is a set of regulations that applies to those institutions, such as Montana Tech, that receive funding from the Department of Education.
FERPA was written specifically for students and guarantees them the right to inspect and review their education records, the right to seek to amend education records, and the right to have some control over the disclosure of information from those education records.
Notification Regarding Release of Student Directory Information
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974 (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. “Education records” are “those records, files documents, and other materials which 1) contain information directly related to a student; and 2) are maintained by an educational institution. (20 U.S.C. § 1232g(a)(4)(A); 34 CFR § 99.3). FERPA applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education.
Generally speaking, FERPA allows Montana Tech to disclose education records or personally identifiable information from education records in the following circumstances: with the written consent of the student, if the disclosure meets one of the statutory exemptions, or if the disclosure is directory information and the student has not placed a hold on release of directory information.
The University defines the following information as public (directory) information:
FERPA allows Montana Tech to release a student’s directory information to anyone unless the student informs Enrollment Services that he or she does not wish directory information to be released.
NO to Release of Directory Information
If you do not wish to authorize the release of directory information and do not want your directory information to appear in the Montana Tech Student Directory, you must complete a Restrict Release of Directory Information form which can be obtained from the Enrollment Services website. You should allow at least three business days for processing.
You should be aware …
You should be aware that restricting the release of your directory information has other consequences. For instance, a FERPA restriction makes it difficult or impossible for potential employers to verify your enrollment, or to verify the fact that you have earned a degree from Montana Tech. The university cannot notify your home town paper about awards and honors you receive (e.g., Dean’s list). For this reason alone, many students choose to remove their FERPA restriction.
Change from NO to YES
At any time after restricting the release of your directory information, you may change your mind and choose to authorize the university to release directory information and for it to appear in the Montana Tech Student Directory. To do this, complete the Authorization to Release Directory Information form.
FERPA also affords students certain rights with respect to their education records. These rights include:
1.The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within 45 days of the day Montana Tech receives a request for access.
To inspect and review his or her education records, a student should submit to the university official(s) or office(s) having custody of the particular record(s), a written request that identifies the record(s) the student wishes to inspect.
A student who wishes to ask Montana Tech to amend a record should write the appropriate dean or director responsible for custody of the record, clearly identify the part of the record the student wants changed, and specify why it should be changed.
If Montana Tech decides not to amend the record as requested, the university will notify the student in writing of the decision and the student’s 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.
Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-5901
For more information on FERPA, please see the following links: