Privacy of Student Records - FERPA

Catawba College complies with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), as amended. Students will be notified of their FERPA rights annually by publication in the College Catalog and on the College Website. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) affords students certain rights with respect to their education records.

Educational Records

Educational records include files, documents, and other materials which contain information directly related to students and are maintained by the College or a person acting for the College. 

The term “educational records” does not include the following:

  1. Private notes, documents, and records of institutional personnel if it is kept in the sole possession of the maker of the record and is not accessible by or revealed to any other person except a temporary substitute for the maker of the record.
  2. Records created and maintained by Catawba College’s Public Safety Department solely for law enforcement purposes.
  3. Records of instructional, supervisory or administrative personnel kept in their sole possession.
  4. Records on a student which are made or maintained by a physician, psychologist, psychiatrist, counselor or other recognized professional or paraprofessional acting in (or assisting in) their official capacity.
  5. Financial records on the parents of the student.
  6. Alumni records.
  7. Directory Information. 

A student’s rights with respect to their education records are as follows:

  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. Students should submit written requests that identify the record(s) they wish to inspect to the Office of the Registrar. The College 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. In the event the requested record includes information on more than one student, the student requesting access will be informed only of that part which pertains to them.) 
  2. The right to request the amendment of education records that the student believes are inaccurate or misleading. Students requesting the College to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate or misleading must do so in writing to the College official responsible for maintaining the record. The written request should clearly identify the part of the record in question and specify why it is believed to be inaccurate or misleading. 
  3. 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 such consent. One exception that permits disclosure without a student’s prior written consent is disclosure by the College to school officials whom the College has determined to have a legitimate educational interest in such information. The term “school officials” includes faculty, staff and trustees of the College including public safety officers and student health staff. The term “school officials” also includes students serving on an official College committee such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing their official tasks. The term “school officials” further includes certain contractors, consultants, volunteers and agents of the College, such as attorneys, contractors or consultants acting on the College’s behalf. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record or personally identifiable information derived from an education record in order to fulfill their professional responsibilities. 
  4. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by Catawba 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
    SW Washington, DC 20202-4605

Directory Information

FERPA does allow Catawba College to disclose educational records to parents of dependent students just as they would to the student. Dependent means a dependent pursuant to the definition under the IRS Code. Therefore, proof that a parent is including a student as a dependent under the federal tax laws will be required to disclose (without the student’s permission) information to the parents of a student 18 years of age or older. 

Catawba College hereby designates the following student information as public or “Directory Information.” Such information may be disclosed by the institution for any purpose, at its discretion. However, generally this information is only shared with College officials on a need-to-know basis.

  • Name
  • Address
  • Email Address
  • Telephone Number
  • Date and Place of Birth
  • Major(s)/Minor(s)
  • Classification (i.e., freshman, sophomore)
  • Dates of Attendance
  • Degree(s)
  • Honors
  • Athletic information about student participation in sports and data such as height and weight will be released to the media and published by appropriate College publications.

Except for directory information, the College will not disclose information about students to
individuals other than school officials with a legitimate educational interest or parents of dependent students without the student’s written consent, unless the disclosure is compelled by law, a court of law, an emergency or some other extraordinary circumstance; is in conjunction with organized educational research; or is required by an accrediting agency. Exceptions to this policy may be made in individual cases with the permission of the Provost, provided that the exceptions are consistent with applicable law and are judged to be in the interest of the student’s educational progress. 

Currently enrolled students may direct the College to withhold disclosure of directory information under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974. To withhold disclosure, the appropriate form, housed in the Registrar’s Office, must be signed and received in the Registrar’s Office at Catawba College on or before the last day to add a class for the semester the student wants to start exercising the right to withhold disclosure of directory information. Catawba College assumes that failure on the part of any student to specifically request the withholding of “Directory Information” indicates individual approval for disclosure. A new non-disclosure form must be completed each academic year.

Consent Form

Students may, at their discretion, grant Catawba College permission to release information about their student records by submitting a completed FERPA Consent Form. 

FERPA Consent Form