2025-2026 Notification of Rights Under FERPA
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students the following rights with respect to their education records:
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. Students should submit to the College Registrar written requests that identify the record(s) they wish to inspect. The Registrar will make arrangements for access and notify the students of the time and place where the records may be inspected.
2. The right to request an amendment of the student’s education records that the student believes are inaccurate or misleading. Students may ask the College to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate or misleading. They should contact the College Registrar in writing, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading. If the College decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, the College will notify the student of the decision and advise the student of their right to a hearing regarding the request for an amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the student when notified of the right to a hearing.
3. The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. One exception which permits disclosure without consent is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official includes, but is not limited to, a person employed by the College in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position; a person or company with whom the College has contracted (such as an attorney, auditor, collection agent, insurer, billing or payment processing company); organizations conducting certain studies for or on behalf of the school; affiliated organizations serving the College in advancement, fundraising, alumni relations, or similar services; a person serving on an official College committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing their tasks; other institutions or third parties with whom the College has partnered or affiliated for purposes of providing academic, student support or engagement, or other opportunities or services (including but not limited to College affiliated institutions of higher education, Fort Hays Tech | Northwest and Fort Hays State University); or appropriate officials in cases of health and safety emergencies . A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill their professional responsibility. For the sake of illustration, and in addition to those individuals referenced above, school officials with a legitimate educational interest may include, but are certainly not limited to, those individuals (including faculty and staff) that may be involved in: data or information management processes, financial aid and any related systems or processes, advising and student support services, or any other College-affiliated systems, processes, or services that may be utilized in the interest of supporting or advancing the educational experience of a student. Upon request, the College may disclose education records without consent to officials of another school in which a student seeks or intends to enroll.
4. The right to file a complaint with Fort Hays Tech | North Central alleging that the College violated any student rights under FERPA at the following address: Fort Hays Tech | North Central Office of the Registrar 3033 Hwy 24 Beloit, KS 67420
5. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by Fort Hays Tech | North Central to comply with the requirements of FERPA at the following address: Family Policy Compliance Officer US Department of Education 600 Independent Avenue SW Washington, DC 20202-4605
Student Directory Information The following types of personally identifiable information are designated as student directory information by Fort Hays Tech | North Central. They include the student’s: 1. Name 2. Address (local and permanent) 3. E-mail address 4. Telephone number 5. Grade level or classification 6. Major field(s) of study 7. Participation in officially recognized activities 8. Dates of attendance 9. Degrees and dates awarded 10. Awards and academic honors received 11. Most recent previous educational institution attended 12. Enrollment status (i.e., full/part time) 13. Photograph or likeness The Registrar is designated as the Student Privacy Officer. Students have the right to notify the institution that they do not want any or all of the types of information listed above to be designated as directory information. Notification must be in writing and must be received by the Registrar prior to the beginning of the academic semester.
FERPA privacy rights attach at the time a student applies at Fort Hays Tech | North Central and are governed by and subject to the provisions of FERPA (20 U.S.C. 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99), as amended from time to time.