Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) afford students certain rights with respect to their education records. A student is defined as any person who attends or who has attended Kettering College. These rights include:

1. The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within 45 days of the day the College receives a request for access. A student should submit the the Registrar a written request that identifies the record(s) the student wishes to inspect. The Registrar 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 College official to whom the request was submitted, that official shall advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed.

Kettering College reserves the right to refuse inspection of the following records:

• Financial statements of the student’s parents.
• Letters or statements of recommendation for which the student has waived his or her right of access.
• Records referring to a denial of acceptance to the College.
• Records not included in the FERPA definition of education records.
• Records placed on file prior to Jan. 1, 1975.

A student who request more than one page from his or her file will be charged $1 per page. 

2.  The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the student believes is inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy rights under FERPA.

A student who wishes to ask the College to amend a record should write the appropriate College official responsible for the record, clearly identify the part of the record the student wants changed, and specify why it should be changed.

If the College decides not to amend the record as requested, the College 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.

3. The right to provide written consent before the College discloses personally identifiable information from the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. The receipt of a written request to release an education record via fax satisfied this requirement of FERPA.

The College discloses education records without a student’s prior written consent under the FERPA exception for disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the College in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position (including law enforcement unit personnel and health staff); a person or company with whom the College has contracted as its agent to provide a service instead of using College employees or officials (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent); a person serving on the Board of Directors; or a student serving on an official 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 his or her professional responsibilities for the College.

Upon request, the College may also disclose educational records without consent to officials of another school in which a student seeks or intends to enroll. The College will make a reasonable attempt to notify each student of these disclosures.

4. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the 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, DC 20202-5901