The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

University of Silicon Valley complies with the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) regulations (also known as the Buckley Amendment (1974)). This act gives eligible students certain rights to their education records. These rights include:

1. The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within 45 days of the day the College receives the request
2. The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the student believes is inaccurate
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
4. The right to prevent disclosure of Directory information (Name, Degree received, Major and dates of attendance). If you wish to withhold the disclosure of all of the items of “Directory Information”, complete the Directory Information Opt-Out Form and submit it to the Registrar. This form must be received by the Registrar prior to the close of the Course Add/Drop period in any given semester or term to ensure that the above information is not released for the remainder of the semester.
5. The right to be annually reminded about his/her rights under FERPA
6. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the College to comply with the requirements of FERPA.

The name and address of the Office of Education that administers FERPA:

Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-5901
USA

The Buckley Amendment grants the College the authority to release directory information to any person on request, unless a student requests in writing that directory information be kept as private. The College directory information will be disclosed at the College’s discretion. The College regards the following as directory information:

• Student’s Name
• Dates of Attendance
• Degrees/Awards Earned
• Major Field Study

It is important that parents/eligible students have the opportunity to make informed decisions about the use of their student's directory information. However, there are times when schools must be allowed to implement policies that will permit them to effectively protect their students. As such, the Department of Education has also changed the directory information exception to state that parents may not, by opting out of directory information, prevent a school from requiring a student to wear or present a student ID badge.

A copy of the Family Education Rights may be requested from the College or viewed at the following website http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html

In order to comply with FERPA regulations, University of Silicon Valley does not release personal identifying information to outside parties without written student consent.