Notification of Rights under FERPA for Postsecondary Institutions

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

1. The right to inspect and review the student's education records within 45 days of the day
   the College receives a request for access. The student must submit to the 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 Registrar shall
   advise 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 are 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
   College 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 are provided to the student when notified of the right to a
   hearing.
3. The right to provide written consent before the College discloses personally identifiable
   information from the student's education records, except to the extent that FERPA
   authorizes disclosure without consent. The College 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 is a person employed by the College
   in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position (including
   law enforcement personnel); a person or company with whom the College has contracted as
   its agent to provide a service instead of using College employees or officials (such as an
   attorney, auditor, or collection agent); a person serving on the Board of Trustees; or a
   student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or
   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 College. Upon request, the College also
   discloses education records without consent to officials of another school in which a student
   seeks or intends to enroll.
4. As of January 3, 2012, the U.S. Department of Education's FERPA regulations expand
   the circumstances under which your education records and personally identifiable
   information (PII) contained in such records - including your Social Security Number,
   grades, or other private information - may be accessed without your consent. First, the U.S.
   Comptroller General, the U.S. Attorney General, the U.S. Secretary of Education, or state
   and local education authorities ("Federal and State Authorities") may allow access to your
   records and PII without your consent to any third party designated by a Federal or State
   Authority to evaluate a federal- or state-supported education program. The evaluation may
   relate to any program that is "principally engaged in the provision of education," such as
   early childhood education and job training, as well as any program that is administered by
   an education agency or institution. Second, Federal and State Authorities may allow access
   to your education records and PII without your consent to researchers performing certain
   types of studies, in certain cases even when we object to or do not request such research.
   Federal and State Authorities must obtain certain use-restriction and data security promises
   from the entities that they authorize to receive your PII, but the Authorities need not
   maintain direct control over such entities. In addition, in connection with Statewide
   Longitudinal Data Systems, State Authorities may collect, compile, permanently retain, and
   share without your consent PII from your education records, and they may track your
   participation in education and other programs by linking such PII to other personal
   information about you that they obtain from other Federal or State data sources, including
   workforce development, unemployment insurance, child welfare, juvenile justice, military
   service, and migrant student records systems.
5. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged
   failures by the College 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

Notification of Release of Directory Information

At its discretion, WV Northern Community College may provide "directory information" in accordance
with the provisions of the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA). Directory
information is defined as that information which would not generally be considered harmful or an
invasion of privacy if disclosed. Designated directory information at WV Northern Community College
includes the following: student's name, address, telephone listing, e-mail address, date and place of
birth, major field of study, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, photographs,
Student ID, dates of attendance, degrees and awards received, enrollment status, and the most recent
previous educational agency or institution attended. Students may block the public disclosure of
directory information by notifying the Registrar's Office in writing.

Please consider very carefully the consequences of a decision to withhold directory information. A
non-disclosure block requires WV Northern Community College not to release any or all of this
"directory information"; thus, any future requests for such information from non-institutional persons
or organizations are refused.

WV Northern Community College honors your requests to withhold directory information but cannot
assume responsibility to contact you for subsequent permission to release this information. Regardless
of the effect upon you, WV Northern Community College assumes no liability as a result of honoring
your instructions that such information be withheld.

Although the initial request may be filed at any time, requests for non-disclosure are honored by the
College until removed, in writing, by the student.

Becky S. Yesenczki
Registrar
WV Northern Community College
1704 Market Street
Wheeling, WV 26003
(304) 214-8835