At colleges and universities, all students– currently or previously enrolled, and regardless of age– are protected by FERPA, the Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act. Whether you are 16 or 65, under FERPA, Central Piedmont cannot answer questions or release information about you– to your parent, family, or future school — without your written permission.
FERPA prevents college officials from disclosing personally identifiable information unless you approve disclosure by submitting a signed consent form. FERPA protects your information at Central Piedmont.
You have the right to inspect and review your education records. To review records, students and former students may contact Student Records, present valid photo identification, and request in writing to review the record. Central Piedmont will provide access to the record within 45 days.
You have the right to request amendment of education records that you believe are inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of your privacy rights under FERPA. You may question information in your educational records that you believe to be incorrect or inaccurate. This request must be in writing and submitted to the Senior Registrar.
All requests for corrections will be acted upon within 30 work days of receipt of the request. If Central Piedmont can verify that such data are, in fact, in error, appropriate corrections will be made. You will be notified in writing when the correction has been completed.
If an error cannot be readily substantiated, the request will be referred to an Ad Hoc Hearing Committee appointed by the Vice President for Student Affairs. After you have had the opportunity to present the case to the hearing committee, the committee will render a decision in writing, stating the reasons for its decision.
You have the right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in your education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. Directory information may be disclosed without your written consent. Central Piedmont has declared the following information to be directory information:
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- your name
- your city of residence
- dates and semesters of attendance
- your major field of study or program
- credentials earned and dates awarded
One exception which permits disclosure without your consent is disclosure to school officials who have a legitimate educational interest in the record. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official is performing a task that is specified in his or her position description or by a contract agreement, performing a task related to your education, or performing a task related to your discipline.
You have the right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by Central Piedmont to comply with the requirements of FERPA.
The name and address of the office that administers FERPA compliance is:
Student Privacy Policy Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202