Annually, BridgeValley Community and Technical College informs students of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974. This Act, with which BridgeValley intends to comply fully, was designed to protect the privacy of education records, to establish the right of students to inspect and review their education records, and to provide guidelines for the correction of inaccurate or misleading data through informal and formal hearings. Students also have the right to file complaints with the Office of the Registrar concerning alleged failures by BridgeValley to comply with the Act.

For more information regarding FERPA, or to download the FERPA and/or Disclosure of Directory Information form(s), please visit our FERPA webpage.
 

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 to the registrar, dean, head of the academic department, or other appropriate official written requests that identify the record(s) they wish to inspect. The Record Review Request form may be submitted to the Office of the Registrar to request access to academic records. Other offices or departments will develop their own method-granting access. After the written request, each office or department 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.
 

2. The right to request the amendment of anything in the student's education records that the student believes is inaccurate or misleading.

Students may ask the College to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate or misleading. They may write or use the appropriate form as designated by each office to the College official responsible for the record, clearly identifying the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading.

If the college decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, the college 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 all personally identifiable information contained in the student's education records except to the extent FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.

One exception that permits disclosure without consent is 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 for a service (such as an attorney, auditor or collection agent); a person serving on the Board of Trustees; 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; or a volunteer or other non-employee with legitimate educational interests.

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.

Upon request, the college may disclose education records without consent to officials of another school in which a student seeks or intends to enroll and by law must provide name and address of all students to any legitimate military recruiter who makes such a request in writing to the Office of the Registrar.
 

4. Complaints concerning alleged failures by BridgeValley Community and Technical College to comply with FERPA may be mailed to the U.S. Department of Education at:

           Family Policy Compliance Office
           U.S. Department of Education
           400 Maryland Ave., SW
           Washington, D.C. 20202-4605

NOTE:

  • As of January, 2012, The U.S. Dept. of Education's FERPA regulations expand the circumstances under which your education records and personally identifiable information (PII) contained in such records—including your SSN, grades, or other private information – may be accessed without your consent.
     

    • First, the U.S. Comptroller General, The U.S. Attorney General, the U.S. Secretary of Education, or state and local education authorities (“Federal and State Authorities”) may allow access to your records and PII without your consent to any third party designated by a Federal or State Authority to evaluate a federal or state-supported education program. The evaluation may relate to any program that is “principally engaged in the provision of education,” such as early childhood education and job training, as well as any program that is administered by an education agency or institution.
       

    • Second, Federal and State Authorities may allow access to your education records and PII without your consent to researchers performing certain types of studies, in certain cases even when we object or do not request such research. Federal and State Authorities must obtain certain use-restriction and data security promises from the entities that are authorized to receive your PII, but the Authorities need not maintain direct control over such entities.
       

    • In addition, in connection with Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems, State Authorities may collect, compile, permanently retain, and share without your consent PII from your education records, and they may track your participation in education and other programs by linking such PII to other personal information about you that they obtain from other Federal or State data sources, including workforce development, unemployment insurance, child welfare, juvenile justice, military service, and migrant student records systems.
       

Questions regarding FERPA should be emailed to [email protected].