Annual Notice to Students - FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act)

Each year, East Arkansas Community College informs students of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which affords eligible students certain rights with respect to their education records. (An "eligible student" under FERPA is a student who is 18 years of age or older or who attends a postsecondary institution at any age.) This act, with which EACC fully intends to comply, includes:

1. The right to inspect and review the student's education records within 45 days after the day East Arkansas Community College receives a request for access. A student should submit to the College's Registrar a written request that identifies the record(s) the student wishes to inspect. The Registrar 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 Registrar, the student shall be advised the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed.

2. The right to request the amendment of the student's education records that the student believes is inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student's privacy rights under FERPA.

A student who wishes to ask the College to amend a record should write the school official responsible for the record, clearly identify the part of the record the student wants changed, and specify why it should be changed.

If the College decides not to amend the record as requested, the College will notify the student in writing of the decision and the student's 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.

PLEASE NOTE: FERPA is not to be utilized to dispute a substantive judgment that is correctly recorded. For example, the right to challenge the accuracy of the record is not intended to allow for the contesting of a grade in a course. FERPA is intended to ensure the factual and accurate nature of the information in students' educational records and students' rights to verify that information.

3. The right to provide written consent before East Arkansas Community College discloses personally identifiable information (PII) from the student's education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.

EACC discloses education records without a student's prior written consent under the FERPA exception for disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests.

A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official need to review an educational record in order to fulfill his/her professional responsibilities for the College and could include:

• A person employed by the College in an administrative, supervisory, academic, research, or support staff position (including law enforcement unit personnel and health staff) who has been determined to have a legitimate educational interest;
• a person serving on EACC's Board of Trustees;
• a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in executing his/her duties;
• a person or company outside of the College who performs an institutional service or function for which the school would otherwise use its own employees, such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent, or a verification agency, such as the National Student Clearinghouse;
• officials of another institution where the student intends to enroll or where the student is already enrolled if the disclosure is for purposes related to the student's enrollment or transfer.

EACC may also make the following disclosures without student consent:

• Disclosures to federal, state, and local authorities (US Comptroller General, US Attorney General, US Secretary of Education, and other state and local authorities) that may further disclose information from educational records on behalf of the institution;
• Disclosures in connection with financial aid for which the student has applied or which the student has received;
• Disclosures to accrediting agencies to carry out their accrediting functions;
• Disclosures to parents of an eligible student if the student is a dependent for IRS tax purposes;
• Disclosures to comply with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena;
• Disclosures in connection with a health or safety emergency;
• Disclosures in connection with crimes of violence and non-forcible sex offenses;
• Disclosures concerning sex offenders;
• Disclosures to the parent(s) of a student under the age of 21 who has been found to have violated any federal, state, or local law, or any rule of policy of the College, governing the use or possession of alcohol or a controlled substance if the College determines the student committed a disciplinary violation;
• Disclosures of information the College has identified as directory information.

Directory information, as defined by East Arkansas Community College, may be released without a student's written consent. FERPA permits the College to limit the disclosure and to use discretion when choosing whether or not to release directory information to specified parties, for specific purposes, or both. EACC designates the following as directory information:

• Student's name
• Address(es)
• Telephone number(s)
• Email address(es)
• Photograph(s)
• Place of birth/hometown
• Dates of attendance
• Status of full-time or part-time
• Academic major
• Degree(s) awarded and date conferred
• Other academic institutions attended
• Academic and non-academic honors
• Campus activities and leadership positions

This information is subject to public disclosure. Students who wish to prevent disclosure of directory information must submit a request to the Registrar.

PLEASE NOTE: Requests for non-disclosure are effective only for the enrollment period during which they are submitted; a new request must be made at the beginning of each enrollment period for which non-disclosure is desired. 

Students who wish to file a request to release information to a particular person or agency may submit a Student Information Release Authorization Form to the EACC Registrar. Students must show their photo ID when submitting this authorization. Completion and submission of this form grants the College permission to release specified information regarding the student's educational records to the person designated on the form until such time as the authorization is revoked. That form may be found here

4. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by EACC to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the office that administers FERPA is:

Student Privacy Policy Office

U.S. Department of Education

400 Maryland Avenue, SW

Washington, DC 20202