Home » Admissions and Records » Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, commonly known as FERPA, is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. Students have specific, protected rights regarding the release of such records and FERPA requires that institutions adhere strictly to these guidelines.
When a student turns 18 years old or begins attending a college, university, or other postsecondary school at any age, they become an “eligible student.” At that point, the rights provided under FERPA (the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) transfer from the parent to the student. For general information on an eligible student’s rights under FERPA, visit the Department of Education’s Student Guide to the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
FERPA provides certain rights for parents regarding their children’s education records. The Department of Education has developed A Parent Guide to the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
Under FERPA, there are two types of educational records: directory records and non-directory records. Each type of educational record is afforded different disclosure protections. To better understand each type of record under FERPA, please review the descriptions below and the disclosure protections that apply to each.
Some information in a student’s educational record is defined as directory information under FERPA. Under a strict reading of FERPA, the school may disclose this type of information without the written consent of the student. However, the student can exercise the option to restrict the release of directory information by submitting a formal request to the school to limit disclosure.
Directory information may include:
Under the provisions of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, you have the right to request that any or all of your directory information not be released to non-institutional persons or organizations. Please consider very carefully the consequences of a decision to withhold directory information. Should you decide that your directory information is not to be released remember that any requests for such information as verification of a degree earned or enrollment for possible employment or insurance purposes will be refused.
Download a PDF of the Request to Prevent Disclosure of Directory Information form.
Non-directory information is any educational record not considered directory information. Non-directory information must not be released to anyone, including parents of the student, without the prior written consent of the student. Further, faculty and staff can access non-directory information only if they have a legitimate academic need to do so. Non-directory information may include:
Transcripts are non-directory information and, therefore, are protected educational records under FERPA. Students have a right to privacy regarding transcripts held by the school where third parties seek transcript copies.
In general, a student’s prior written consent is always required before institutions can legitimately disclose non-directory information.
Prior written consent is not required when disclosure is made directly to the student or to other school officials within the same institution where there is a legitimate educational interest. A legitimate educational interest may include enrollment or transfer matters, financial aid issues, or information requested by regional accrediting organizations.
Download a PDF of the John A. Logan College Release of Information form.
Students are required to either personally submit the form to the Admissions and Records Office or email the completed document to admissions@jalc.edu. All email submissions must be sent from the student’s Volmail address to admissions@jalc.edu or turned in by the student at the Admissions and Records Office in E122.
The purpose of this statement is to inform you of how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal information when you interact with us through our website, online services, or other means.
We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting it in accordance with this statement and applicable laws, such as
Personal information is any information that identifies you or relates to you as an individual. The College processes the following general categories of personal information: names; addresses; telephone numbers; email addresses; identification numbers including but not limited to social security numbers, Resident Identity Cards, driver’s license numbers, College identification numbers, and personal identification numbers (PINs); usernames; passwords; demographic information; education history and transcripts; entrance exam scores; background check information; personal references; financial information including but not limited to credit and debit card numbers, tax information, tax identification numbers (TINs), and financial aid information; transaction histories; business information; passport and visa information; work histories; medical histories; donation histories; insurance information; military service; IP addresses; location information; device information; metadata; education records including but not limited to coursework, correspondence, evaluations, disciplinary complaints, and other records, and files maintained by the College as part of the educational process; any requests for accommodations or leave.
The College requires Personal Information only when necessary.
The College may need to request special categories of Personal Information—information revealing racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, or trade union membership to uniquely identify a natural person; data concerning health; or data concerning a natural person’s sex life or sexual orientation.
Before the College processes your special category Personal Information or your criminal conviction Personal Information, if any, the College will ask for your affirmative consent unless the College has another legal basis for the processing, in which case the College will inform you of that basis.
We use your personal information for various purposes related to our educational mission. The information is used to:
We disclose your personal information to third parties only when necessary for the purposes described above or when required by law. We do not sell or rent your personal information to anyone. We may share your personal information with:
You have certain rights and choices regarding your personal information. If you wish to exercise or restrict any of these rights, please contact us at privacy@jalc.edu.
Right of access:
You have the right to request that the College confirm whether it is processing your Personal Information. If the College is processing your Personal Information, you have the right to access that Personal Information, and the College will provide you with a copy of that Personal Information unless prevented by applicable law.
Right to have inaccurate Personal Information corrected:
You have the right to request that the College correct any inaccurate Personal Information it maintains about you. You also have the right to request that the College complete any incomplete Personal Information it maintains about you, which could be accomplished by incorporating a supplementary statement you submit. If the College concurs that the Personal Information is incorrect or incomplete, it will promptly correct or complete it.
Right to erasure:
You have the right to request the erasure of Personal Information that the College maintains about you in certain circumstances. These circumstances include that the Personal Information is no longer necessary in relation to the purpose(s) for which it was collected.
Subject to applicable U.S. and state law and College policies and if there are no overriding legitimate grounds for the College to retain the Personal Information. The College will comply with the request and take reasonable steps to inform any third parties with whom the Personal Information was shared.
Right to restriction of processing:
You have the right to request that the College restrict the processing of your Personal Information. The reasons include that the Personal Information is inaccurate, the processing is unlawful, or the College no longer needs the Personal Information.
If the College grants your request to restrict processing, the College will only process that Personal Information with your consent, for the protection of the rights of another natural or legal person, for reasons of important public interest, for the establishment, exercise, or defense of legal claims, or as otherwise required by applicable U.S. and state law.
Right to data portability:
Where the basis for processing is either consent or performance of a contract between you and the College, and where the processing is carried out by automated means, you have the right to receive the Personal Information you provided to the College. The College will provide Personal Information in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format. Where technically feasible and upon your request, the College will transmit the Personal Information directly to another entity.
Right to withdraw consent:
If the basis for processing your Personal Information is consent, you may revoke your consent at any time. Upon receipt of your notice withdrawing consent, and if there are no other legal grounds for the processing, the College will stop processing the Personal Information unless the processing is necessary for the establishment, exercise, or defense of legal claims. Revoking consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing before the revocation.
Right to object to processing:
In certain situations, you may have the right to object to the processing of your Personal Information
Public Interest or Legitimate Interests:
If the basis for processing your Personal Information is public interest or legitimate interests, you have the right to object to processing the Personal Information. The College will cease processing unless the College demonstrates overriding legitimate grounds for processing or the processing is necessary to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.
Direct Marketing:
If the College is using your Personal Information for direct marketing purposes such as fundraising, you have the right to object at any time, and the College will stop using your Personal Information for that purpose.
Updating the Statement
We may update this statement to reflect changes in our practices or laws. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the revised statement on our website or emailing you. Your continued use of our website or services after the effective date of the updated statement constitutes your acceptance of the changes.
Questions
If you have any questions or concerns about this statement or our privacy practices, please contact us at privacy@jalc.edu. We welcome your feedback and suggestions.