FERPA policy

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

• The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within 45 days of the day Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center at Shreveport receives a request for access.
  
  Students should submit to the Registrar written requests that identify the records they wish to inspect. The Registrar will notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. If the records are not maintained in the Office of the Registrar, the student will be advised of the correct office to contact.

• The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the student believes is inaccurate, misleading or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy rights under FERPA.
  
  Students may ask the University to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate or misleading. A student who wishes to ask the University to amend a record should write the University 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 University decides not to amend a record as requested, the University will notify the student in writing of the decision and advise the student of his or her right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the student when notified of the right to a hearing.
• The right to provide written consent before the University discloses personally identifiable information from the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.
  
  One exception, which permits disclosure without consent, is the disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is defined as a person employed by the University in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position (including law enforcement unit personnel and health staff); a person or company with whom the University has contracted as its agent or provide a service instead of using University employees or officials (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent); a person serving on the LSU Board of Supervisors; or a student serving on an official committee, such as for academic awards, disciplinary or grievance committees, or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks. A school official has legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibilities for the University.

Upon request, the University may also disclose education records without consent to officials of another school in which a student seeks or intends to enroll. (Attempts are made to advise the student of the disclosure before it is made.)

• The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the University 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 20202-5920.

Directory Information

At its discretion, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center at Shreveport 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 Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center at Shreveport includes the following: student’s name, address, telephone listing, electronic mail address, photograph, date and place of birth, major field of study, dates of attendance, grade level, enrollment status (e.g., undergraduate or graduate, full-time or part-time), participation in officially recognized activities or sports, degrees, honors and awards received, most recent educational agency or institution attended, and planned post-completion placement (including AAMC Match).

Please consider very carefully the consequences of a decision to withhold directory information. A non-disclosure block will call for Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center at Shreveport not to release any or all of this “directory information;” thus, any future requests for such information from non-institutional persons or organizations will be refused.

Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center at Shreveport will honor the student’s request to withhold directory information but cannot assume responsibility to contact the student for subsequent permission to release this information. Regardless of the effect upon the student, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center at Shreveport assumes no liability as a result of honoring the student’s instructions that such information be withheld. Although the initial request may be filed at any time, requests for non-disclosure will be honored by the University until removed, in writing, by the student.