Privacy Policy for Student Records

FERPA for Students

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) guarantees students certain rights with respect to their education records. These rights include:

1. The right to provide written consent before the University discloses personally identifiable information from the student's education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.

The University discloses education records without a student's prior written consent to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the University in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position (including law enforcement unit personnel and health staff); a person or company with whom the University has contracted as its agent to provide a service instead of using University employees or officials (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent); a person serving on the Board of Trustees; or a student assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibilities for the University.The University may disclose records to official personnel in connection with the receipt of financial aid.

The University discloses education records to parents only upon receipt of a signed request from the student.
- The Registrar and the Office of Student Life provide appropriate forms for release of information, relevant to the student record information maintained by those departments.
- The University reserves the right to disclose information to parents or guardians without written consent in the case of a health and/or safety emergency.

Franklin may also distribute the following information in appropriate situations without the student’s permission under the definition of Directory Information:
- Student’s name
- Address
- Telephone number
- Email address
- Date and place of birth
- Class level at the University (i.e., Sophomore, Junior etc.)
- Major or Minor
- Enrollment status
- Dates of attendance
- Degrees and awards received
- Previous educational agencies or institutions attended
- Participation in officially recognized campus activities

Students may authorize parents to view their academic records and other information via the Shared Access feature of the MyFranklin secure portal.

Shared Access

2. The right to inspect and review the student's education records within 45 days of the day the University receives a request for access.

A student should submit to the Registrar, appropriate academic or student dean, head of the academic department, or other appropriate official, a written request that identifies the record(s) the student wishes to inspect. The University official 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 University official to whom the request was submitted, that official shall advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed.

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

A student who wishes to ask the University to amend a record should write the University 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 University decides not to amend the record as requested, the student will be notified in writing of the decision and of his/her right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the student.

4. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the University 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 Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-5901

This policy serves to notify students of their rights regarding their education records in accordance with the FERPA, and provides a general framework for the University’s compliance with FERPA. This policy does not cover all aspects and exceptions under FERPA and other laws