FERPA Release of Information Form

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974 prohibits Ensign College from releasing certain personally identifiable information from a student’s record to a third party (e.g. parent, spouse, etc.) without the student’s explicit consent.

FERPA applies to any educational record (in handwriting, print, tapes, film, electronic, or other media) maintained by Ensign College, regardless of its date of origin, which is directly related to the student. Under FERPA there are two categories of educational records. Directory information is general information that may be released without consent of the student, unless the student has indicated otherwise by restricting the release of directory information found in their MyEnsign page. The second category is personally identifiable information which includes all other information not defined as directory information. Personally identifiable information may not be released without consent of the student.

Students attending Ensign College have the following rights under FERPA:

1. To inspect and review education records
2. To have records amended
3. To have some control over the disclosure of information contained in records
4. To file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education if Ensign College fails to comply with FERPA

FERPA protects the privacy of student records and restricts the release of information to anyone other than the student. By submitting the FERPA Release of Information Form (found online by logging into your MyEnsign account) you allow Ensign College to do the following:

• Disclose information from your educational records (including tuition amounts) to your parents or someone other than yourself.
• Discuss student information with you over the phone.

The form designates what types of information can be released and to whom by requiring a password to verify the identity of the person(s) listed on the form. This allows those you authorize to obtain specific student information without being present at the college with a photo ID.

Submitting a FERPA Release of Information Form is voluntary. However, opting out of the release will prevent Ensign College from being able to discuss any information from your educational records to anyone else. In addition, no specific information can be given to you over the phone or via email so you will need to be present at the college with photo ID to receive any information regarding your educational records.

In order to simplify interactions with the faculty and staff at Ensign College, we strongly recommend that all students submit a FERPA Release of Information Form.

You have the right to restrict disclosure of directory information. To request restriction of disclosure, simply log into your MyEnsign account and select “Ensign College” > “Student Center”. Under “Personal Information” click on “Demographic Data”. Choose the “Security” tab and then click on “FERPA Restrictions”.

1. What email accounts can I use with FERPA-protected information?
   
   • The Ensign College email is provided by the College and is within the College’s firewall, so you may send confidential data ONLY to the Ensign College email. Emails to the student’s non-Ensign College email, or anyone outside the Ensign College.edu domain, should be treated like a postcard and only include directory or non-FERPA data. Send any confidential information to students through their Ensign College.edu email.
2. Are there circumstances where non-directory information is released?
   
   • Under the law, there are 16 exceptions when FERPA data can be released without express permission from the student. Many of these exceptions require information of what was released, who it was released to, and the exception it falls under to be recorded on the student’s permanent record.
3. What do I need to include in a written consent?
   
   • A written consent must include:
     
     • Who the information can be released to
     • What information may be released
     • The purpose for the release
     • It must be signed and dated
4. Who do I send the written consent to? Can it be emailed?
   
   • The person receiving the information should bring a picture ID and the written consent to the appropriate manager of the information that is being released. The written consent must have a hard signature, so it cannot be in the body of an email. It can be an attachment to an email.
5. I used to be able to see my child’s academic information and now I can’t. What happened? How can I gain access to this information (i.e. grades, course schedule, etc.)?
   
   • Once a student is enrolled in a post-secondary institution, like Ensign College, the rights under FERPA belong to the student and not the parent. You should work with your child and have them give you the information. If you claimed your child on last year’s income taxes, Ensign College may release information. To receive this information, you must submit a copy of your tax statement showing the student as a dependent and a request stating what information you would like and why. Ensign College must then record in the student’s permanent record what they released, to whom, and that it was done under the dependency exception.