Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974 affords eligible students certain rights with respect to their education records. An “eligible student” under FERPA is a student who is 18 years of age or older or who attends a post-secondary institution at any age. These rights include:

• The right to inspect and review the student’s education records. Students should contact the Director of Administration to determine the location of appropriate records and the procedure for reviewing such records. A student should submit to the Director of Administration a written request that identifies the record(s) the student wishes to inspect. The Director of Administration will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. If the records are not maintained by the school official to whom the request was submitted, that official shall advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed.
• The right to request that records believed to be inaccurate or misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy rights under FERPA, be amended. The request should be submitted in writing to the Great Lakes Boat Building School official/office responsible for maintaining the record, clearly identify the part of the record the student wants changed, and specify why it should be changed. If the request for change is denied, the student has a right to a hearing on the issue.
• The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.

GLBBS discloses educational records without a student’s prior written consent under the FERPA exception for disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official typically includes a person employed by GLBBS in an administrative, supervisory, academic, research, or support staff position; a person serving on the board of trustees; or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee. A school official also may include a volunteer or contractor outside of GLBBS who performs an institutional service or function for which the school would otherwise use its own employees and who is under the direct control of the school with respect to the use and maintenance of personally identifiable information from education records, such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent or a student volunteering to assist another school official in performing their tasks. A school official typically has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an educational record to fulfill their professional responsibilities for GLBBS.

Generally, schools must have written permission from the eligible student in order to release any information from a student’s education record. However, FERPA allows schools to disclose those records, without consent, to the following parties or under the following conditions (34 CFR § 99.31):

• School officials with legitimate educational interest;
• Other schools to which a student is transferring;
• Specified officials for audit or evaluation purposes;
• Appropriate parties in connection with financial aid to a student;
• U.S. Comptroller General, U.S. Attorney General, U.S. Department of Education;
• Authorized organizations conducting certain studies for or on behalf of the school;
• Accrediting organizations;
• Alleged victim of a crime;
• To comply with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena; provided the school makes a reasonable effort to notify the parent or eligible student of the order or subpoena in advance of compliance;
• Appropriate officials in cases of health and safety emergencies;
• State and local authorities, within a juvenile justice system, pursuant to specific State law; and
• Parent of a student under 21 regarding the violation of a law regarding alcohol or drug abuse.

The School may release information without the student’s consent where the information is classified as “Directory Information.” The following categories of information have been designated by GLBBS as directory information:

• Name, address
• Telephone listing
• Email address
• Photographs
• Certificates, diplomas, honors, awards received
• Program of study

Students who do not want such information released without their consent should notify the Director of Administration.

• The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by GLBBS to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the office that administers FERPA is:

U.S. Department of Education
Student Privacy Policy Office
400 Maryland Avenue, SW.
Washington, DC 20202