FERPA and Student Privacy

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a United States federal law that affords students certain privacy rights with respect to their education records. These rights include:

1) The right to inspect and review student education records within 45 days of the day the College or Seminary receiving a request for access. Students should submit to the Registrar via email requests that identify the record(s) they wish to inspect. The Registrar will make arrangements to email the records to the student.

2) The right to request that the Seminary amend a record that they believe is inaccurate. The student should email the College or Seminary official responsible for the record, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate. This request should be emailed to the Registrar, who will forward it to the appropriate official for review.

If the official responsible for the record(s) decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, the College or Seminary will notify the student of the decision and advise the student of his or her 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 consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.

An exception, which permits disclosure without consent, is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the College or Seminary in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position; a person or company with whom the College or Seminary has contracted (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent); or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance 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 responsibility.

The College or Seminary may also release the following directory information without prior consent:

Name of student

Photograph of student

Mailing address

Home telephone number

Work telephone number

Campus box number

Email address

Dates of attendance

Graduation date

Degree program

Denominational affiliation is not considered directory information. Students may submit a request in writing to the Registrar’s Office to prohibit the release of directory information without consent.

The Atlantic Coast Mission is to provide you with the courses, technology, and academic support ensures that you obtain the specific knowledge, skills, and credentials to maximize your potential for the demands of the 21st Century.