Confidentiality and access to student record information at NACC is administered in accordance with the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974. A student’s FERPA rights include:
- The right to inspect and review your education record within a reasonable time after NACC receives a request for access. If you want to review your record, contact the registrar’s office to make appropriate arrangements.
- The right to request an amendment of your education record if you believe it is inaccurate or misleading. If you feel there is an error in your record, you should contact the registrar’s office and they will advise you regarding the appropriate steps for you to take.
- The right to provide written consent before NACC discloses personally identifiable information from the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. One exception which permits disclosure without consent is disclosure to school officials with “legitimate educational interests.” A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official has a need-to-know information from your educational record in order to fulfill his or her official responsibilities. NACC may release a student’s educational records without his or her approval as follows:
- to NACC faculty and staff with legitimate educational interests
- to representatives of agencies under contract with NACC
- to certain federal and state educational authorities for purposes of enforcing legal requirements in federally supported educational programs
- to persons involved in granting financial aid for which the student has applied
- to testing, research, and accrediting organizations
- in compliance with a court order or lawfully issued subpoena
- in very narrowly defined emergencies affecting the health and safety of the student
In addition, Directory Information, which is defined by FERPA as information contained in an education record that would not generally be considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed, can be disclosed to outside organizations or agencies upon request unless the student specifies otherwise. Directory information may include the following:
- name
- home address
- email address
- telephone Number
- date and place of birth
- major field of study
- enrollment status (e.g., full-time or part-time)
- withdrawal status
- honors, degrees, and awards received
- participation in and personal statistics associated with officially recognized activities and sports
- photograph
- most recent educational institution attended
- dates of attendance – The term “dates of attendance” refers to general periods of time, such as an academic year or a specific semester. It does not include specific daily records of a student’s attendance, which may not be disclosed without consent under FERPA.
- The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failure by NACC 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
Students at NACC have the right to withhold the release of directory information. To do so, you must contact the Admissions Office to place a “No Release” on your record. Please note an important detail regarding placing a “No Release” on your record: NACC receives many inquiries for directory information from a variety of sources outside the institution, including prospective employers, the news media and honor societies, parents, and relatives. Having a “No Release” on your record will preclude release of such information, even to those people. Any additional questions concerning FERPA should be referred to the Registrar’s Office.