1. UNT Dallas
  2. Registrar
  3. Records
  4. FERPA for Parents

FERPA for Parents

 

For Parents of Eligible Students

We consider a parent to be the natural parent, a guardian, or an individual acting as a parent in the absence of a parent or guardian. Rights under FERPA transfer from the parent to the student once they enroll in courses at UNT Dallas. An eligible student is a student who has reached 18 years of age or is attending an institution of post-secondary education. We cannot release non-directory information from the education record to anyone without the student's written consent.

What is protected?

FERPA defines an education record as information in any format that directly identifies an individual and is maintained by the institution or a party acting for the institution. There are two kinds of records:

  1. Directory or public information is information that is not generally considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if released. Directory information includes student’s full name, address (local and permanent), email, phone numbers, date and place of birth, major field of study, dates of attendance, degrees/awards received, most recent previous school attended, enrollment status (classification, under/grad, part/full-time), participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight/height of members of athletic team, and photograph.
    • The University can release a student's directory/public information without their written consent unless they request that we withhold it. A student can request that we withhold their directory/public information by completing the Request to Prevent Disclosure Form.
  2. Non-directory information is information that is not considered to be directory information, such as enrollment records, grades, schedules. We cannot release this information to anyone, including parents or guardians, without a student's written consent. A student can request for us to release their non-directory information by completing the Request to Release Education Record Form.

Are there any exceptions?

There are five exceptions to education records:

  1. Sole Possession Records – Records kept in someone’s “sole possession” and never shared with anyone else.
  2. Law Enforcement Records – Records that are created by and maintained by a law enforcement agency for the purposes of law enforcement.
  3. Employment Records – These records are not education records unless employment is conditional upon the individual being a student.
  4. Medical Records – Records created, maintained and used by professional healthcare workers for the purposes of providing healthcare services. Medical records, however, can become education records when they are used to justify, support, or elucidate some situation connected with an individual’s student status.
  5. Alumni Records – Records that are created and maintained by an alumni association, usually for social and fund-raising purposes.

There are some disclosure exceptions. Prior written consent is not required when disclosure is made under the following conditions:

  1. To UNTD officials who have a legitimate educational interest.* This includes the following:
    1. A person employed by UNTD in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or other support staff position
    2. A person serving on an institutional governing body
    3. A person employed by, or under contract to, the institution to perform a special task, such as an attorney or auditor
  2. To schools in which the student seeks or intends to enroll
  3. To authorized state and local representatives, subject to the requirements in Sec. 99.35
  4. In connection with financial aid for which the student has applied or received
  5. To certain state and local officials or authorities, subject to the requirements in Sec. 99.38
  6. To organizations conducting studies for, or on behalf of, educational agencies or institutions
  7. To accrediting organizations to carry out their accrediting functions
  8. To parents, as defined in Sec. 99.3, of a dependent student, as defined in Sec. 152 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986
  9. To comply with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena
  10. In connection with a health or safety emergency
  11. Information the educational agency or institution has designated as “directory information”
  12. To the parent of a student who is not an eligible student or to the student
  13. To a victim of an alleged perpetrator of a crime of violence or a non-forcible sex offense, subject to the requirements in Sec. 99.39
  14. In connection with a disciplinary proceeding at an institution of postsecondary education, subject to the requirements in Sec. 99.39
  15. To a parent of a student at an institution of postsecondary education regarding the student’s violation of any federal, state, or local law, or of any rule or policy of the institution, governing the use or possession of alcohol or a controlled substance if:
    1. The institution determines that the student has committed a disciplinary violation with respect to that use or possession and
    2. The student is under the age of 21 at the time of the disclosure to the parent.
  16. The Solomon Amendment which requires institutions to release certain directory information to military recruiters. (If a confidentiality request was made by the student, then information will not be released.)

UNTD defines legitimate educational interest as a school official’s need to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibilities for the University.

What if your student is a dependent for tax purposes?

We may release information to you if your student is claimed as a dependent for federal tax purposes, but we are not required to do so. If we do release information we will require proof of tax dependency and completion of the Parental Verification of Student Dependency form.

 

What if my student is participating in a Dual Credit or Early College High School program?

Once a student enrolls at UNT Dallas the rights under FERPA transfer from the parent to the eligible student. An eligible student is a student who has reached 18 years of age or is attending an institution of post-secondary education. We cannot release non-directory information from the education record to anyone without the student's written consent. In a situation where a student is enrolled in both a high school and at UNT Dallas via a Dual Credit or Early College High School Program, the two schools may exchange information on that student. If the student is under 18, the parent/guardian still retains the rights under FERPA at the high school and may inspect and review any records sent by UNT Dallas to the high school.