FERPA (The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974) is a federal law that protects the privacy of students’ education records maintained by an educational institution, establishes the rights of students to inspect and review their education records, and, in certain circumstances, the right to request the record be amended. The law limits, subject to certain exceptions, the rights of institutions to disclose education records or information contained in such records without the student’s written consent. FERPA also requires that campuses notify students of their rights under FERPA on an annual basis. The law also allows an eligible student to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning any failures by the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) or Stony Brook University (SBU) to comply with the requirements of the Act.
The Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974 regulates a wide range of privacy-related activities
including:
Management of student records maintained by the University
Regulations regarding who has access to student records
For which purposes access to student records is granted
University officials will only release educational information upon receipt of a signed, dated, written consent from the student -- which must specify the records that may be disclosed and identify the party to whom the disclosure may be made.
The University may release information without the consent of the student in the following instances:
Parents of a dependent student, as defined by the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, Section 152 and who
supply supporting documentation, may be granted access to a student's educational record at the
University's discretion;
In connection with Financial Aid,
To organizations who are conducting studies that are on behalf of educational agencies;
To Federal or State educational authorities;
To accrediting organizations;
In compliance with a lawfully issued subpoena;
In connection with a health or safety emergency;
To contractual third parties.
Non-University individuals (including parents except as described above) may not have access to educational records other than Directory Information unless authorization from the student is obtained or a lawful subpoena/court order is issued to the
University. Examples of records not released are grades; grade point average; the specific number of hours/credits enrolled,
passed, or failed; Social Security Number; student ID number; name of parents or next of kin; and/or residency status.
Students may complete a form authorizing the Registrar's Office to permit non-University individuals to view the student's
academic record.
For more detailed information, please refer to the policies of the respective institutions.