Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA)

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. In accordance with FERPA guidelines, Lenoir Community College (LCC) is not able to provide confidential information pertaining to students without one of the following:

  • Written consent from student: The FERPA Release Form can be found in myLCC under Self-Service/Apps and Forms and can be completed in person or sent electronically through the student’s LancerMAIL (official LCC email system) to admissions@lenoircc.edu, the Admission’s Office.

OR

  • Written request from parent/legal guardian: The Parental Affidavit for Academic Information Form must be accompanied by a copy of an income tax form showing the parent/legal guardian claimed the student on the most recent tax return. All financial information may be suppressed, but the student’s name and social security number must be listed under the dependents section of the most recent Federal Income Tax Form.

Access to Student Records

  1. Current students as well as those formally enrolled at the College have access to their own records.
    • Each student has the right to inspect and review any and all official educational records, files, and data maintained by the college and directly related to the student and not related to other students.
    • Students may review in person in the Registrar’s Office or online through the official college student database system.
    • Any inquiry pertaining to student records should be directed to the Registrar’s Office, in person or through email using the official college email system sent to regoffice@lenoircc.edu.
  2. Authorized persons/agency representatives having a legitimate educational interest (defined as authorized research or college business which requires access to student records) in information contained in the records, provided information about students is not used in a manner which permits identification of a particular student have access.
    • Legitimate educational interest is a demonstrated “need to know” by those officials of an institution who act in the student’s educational interest. They include: faculty, administration, clerical and professional employees, student workers, and other persons who need student record information for the effective functioning of their office or position.
    • The following criteria shall be taken into account in determining the legitimacy of a University official’s access to student’s records:
    • The official must seek the information within the context of the responsibilities that he or she has been assigned.
    • The information sought must be used within the context of official University business and not for purposes extraneous to the official’s area of responsibility to the University.
  3. A parent, legally assigned guardian, or an individual who is legally acting as a parent of a student in the absence of a parent or guardian and who claims the student as an exemption on the federal income tax return has access as defined in Section152 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
  4. Information from the student’s records may be released without the written consent of the student in the following situations:
    • in compliance with a court order or subpoena
    • requests from school officials who have a legitimate educational interest in the information (as determined by the Registrar’s Office, a school official is a person employed by the College in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position including student workers)
    • requests from other departments or educational agencies who have legitimate educational interest in the information, including persons or companies with whom the College has contracted (such as an attorney, auditor, collection agent, Higher One or The National Student Clearinghouse)
    • requests from officials of other colleges or universities at which the student intends to enroll or has enrolled provided the student is furnished with a copy, if he or she so requests, so that he or she may have an opportunity to challenge the contents of the record
    • requests from authorized representatives of the US Comptroller General or the administrative head of a federal educational agency in connection with an order or evaluation of federally supported educational programs
    • requests in connection with a student’s application for receipt of financial aid
    • requests from parents of a dependent student as defined in Section 152 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (as noted in C above); OR
    • requests from appropriate persons in connection with an emergency if the knowledge of such information is necessary to protect the health or safety of the student or other persons.