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FERPA: Family/Parent Fact Sheet

PROCEDURE NUMBER:

410.10.02E

OFFICE OF THE REGISTRAR
ISSUE/EFFECTIVE DATE:
Fall 1995
Revised: July 2018
PROCEDURE:
FERPA
Parent Fact Sheet
PURPOSE:To advise parents of the provisions contained in FERPA and the ability of students to waive their rights.

FAMILY/PARENT FACT SHEET

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is federal legislation that establishes guidelines governing the way educational institutions maintain and supervise student records. The law requires the University to notify parents and students annually how it complies with its requirements. The law is intended to assure students access to their official records; to provide a means of review should a student question the accuracy of a record; to assure that these records are used for legitimate educational purposes and to control the release of records. The law permits the release of records without the prior consent of the student to appropriate University personnel and, if the student is claimed as a financial dependent on either parent’s most recent federal income tax return, to parents as well as other circumstances as set forth in the law.

Monmouth University may in its discretion permit parents access to their students’ education records with the following:

  • A waiver form completed by the student giving consent for the release of records to the parent seeking the records;

– or –

  • Parents furnish proof to the University that the student is claimed as a financial dependent on either parent’s most recent federal income tax return (at least the first page where dependents are listed, the financial portions may be redacted).

PROCEDURES:

  1. Students wishing to waive their FERPA privacy rights and have records disclosed to another individual should complete a waiver form at the beginning of the fall semester. FERPA forms are available online in the student portal, myMU, Forms, Etrieve Central (e-FORMS). The form(s) are to be completed online and submitted electronically to the Office of the Registrar for processing. The waiver form(s) do not expire unless the student provides written notice to do so.
  2. Parents wishing access to student records should have their son or daughter complete the waiver form online and submit it to the Office of the Registrar electronically. If a student has granted proxy, view-only access to their parents or other individuals of their grade reports, they may be accessed from the Parent Proxy login page. If waivers have not completed, then the following shall apply:
    • Parents should send a copy of the first page of their most recent federal income tax return to the Office of the Registrar. This page should reflect that the student was declared as a dependent. The last three digits of the student’s social security number should appear on the page. All references to income, interest income, dividends, adjusted gross income, etc., may be redacted.
  3. Records available for release will be in accordance with those established in the Monmouth University Student Records Policy. A copy of this policy can be found on file in the Office of the Registrar and the Office of the Vice President for Student Life.
Further information regarding access to student records can be obtained through the Office of the Registrar, the Office of Student Life, or Monmouth University’s Office of the General Counsel.