The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (also known as the “Buckley Amendment”), as it affects students at Johnson University, requires: (1) that the University provide students access to official education records; (2) that students be given an opportunity to challenge such records if they are inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise inappropriate; (3) that written consent of students be obtained before releasing personally identifiable data about students from records to other than a specified list of exceptions; and (4) that students be notified of these rights and policies.

Generally, schools must have written permission from the parent or eligible student in order to release any information from a student’s education record. However, FERPA allows schools to disclose those records, without consent, to the following parties or under the following conditions (34 CFR § 99.31):

  • School officials with legitimate educational interest;
  • Other schools to which a student is transferring;
  • Specified officials for audit or evaluation purposes;
  • Appropriate parties in connection with financial aid to a student;
  • Organizations conducting certain studies for or on behalf of the school;
  • Accrediting organizations;
  • To comply with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena;
  • Appropriate officials in cases of health and safety emergencies; and
  • State and local authorities, within a juvenile justice system, pursuant to specific state law.

Students have 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