Privacy Rights of Parents and Students

Privacy Rights of Parents and Students

Privacy Rights of Parents and Students

Northeast Mississippi Community College complies with all provisions of the federal law entitled, “Privacy Rights of Parents and Students.” Copies of a policy statement indicating the records affected by this law, the student’s rights and obligations, and the college’s rights and obligations may be obtained in the Records Office.

Northeast Mississippi Community College will release directory information about any student unless he/she has notified the Records Office in writing that he/she does not want any such information released. This written request must be filed within two weeks after the student registers. It should be noted that such a request will be followed to the letter. Any future requests from non-college persons or organizations for such directory information will be refused.

Directory information includes the student’s name, address, telephone number, date and place of birth, field of study, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, dates of attendance, degrees received, honors and awards earned, the most recent educational agency attended by the student, and other similar information.

General Policy

The following rights are accorded under this act:

1. Students are entitled to have access to their school records upon request. This request should be directed to the Registrar of the College.
2. Students are entitled to inspect and review the contents of their school records, and to challenge the contents if they feel they are inaccurate, misleading, in violation of the privacy of other rights of the student, or if they contain inappropriate data. If students wish to challenge the contents, they should write the Registrar and identify the part of the record they want changed and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading.
3. Students have a right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by Northeast Mississippi Community College 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 Compliance Office
   600 Independence Ave., S.W.
   Washington, DC 20202-4605

4. Before any school records will be released to third parties (colleges, potential employers, etc.), the school must have the student’s written consent. Exception:
   
   The records may be forwarded to officials of another college, upon request, in which the student seeks or intends to enroll.

5. Upon receipt of a subpoena or judicial order requiring the Registrar to relinquish control of their records, students will be notified of the subpoena or judicial order before the Registrar will relinquish control of the records.
6. The law allows “directory information” about students to be made public without specific permission. The FERPA Compliance Office considers the following items to be directory information:
   
   
   • Name
   • Degrees and awards received
   • Most recent previous institution attended
   • Participation in officially recognized activities/sports
   • Date of birth *released only for legitimate educational purposes
   • Dates of attendance
   • Major Fields of Study
   • Weight and height of individuals on athletic teams

7. All inquiries about records should be made to:
   
   Registrar
   Northeast Mississippi Community College
   101 Cunningham Blvd
   Booneville, MS 38829

More Information

Protecting Student Privacy | U.S. Department of Education
https://studentprivacy.ed.gov

Student Record Storage

Student records are digitally stored in on-campus servers and off-campus backup servers to ensure continuity of student records.   Northeast is in the process of transitioning to cloud storage of all student data which will be maintained by the vendor of the student information system in use.  Servers and cloud systems required multifactor authentication to retrieve student records. 

Institutional Closure

Colleges and universities facing potential closure of the institution or program are required by the regional accrediting body, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, to ensure that students may complete their graduation requirements at other institutions and receive their degrees, facilitate student transfer, protect student records at a depository and inform students and graduates of the location of records.   In the event of an institutional or program closure, the College will provide notification at least 30 days in advance of closure.