Student Records and Privacy Rights

Mitchell must maintain accurate and confidential student records and must recognize the rights of students to have access to their educational and personal records in accordance with existing College policy and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). College officials responsible for the proper maintenance of educational records include the Director of Admissions/ Registrar and the Vice President for Student Services. FERPA provides safeguards regarding the confidentiality of and access to student records. Students and former students have the right to inspect and review their official records and to request a hearing if they challenge the contents of these records. No records shall be made available to unauthorized personnel or groups outside Mitchell without the written consent of the student involved, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. Students have the right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by Mitchell to comply with the requirements of the Act. 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.

“Educational Records” include files, documents, and other materials, which contain information directly related to students. The term “educational records” does not include the following:

Records and documents of institutional personnel which are kept apart from educational records.
Records on the student which are made or maintained by a physician, psychiatrist, psychologist, counselor, or other recognized professionals or paraprofessionals acting in their official capacity.
Financial records on the parents of the student.
Records of instructional, supervisory and administrative personnel kept in their sole possession provided they are “not accessible or revealed to any other person except a substitute.”