Institutional FERPA Policy

All Lincoln College students are accorded all the rights under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), the Buckley Amendment. Therefore, Lincoln College has adopted the following institutional policy which ensures that its students are properly afforded these rights and provisions.

In compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, Lincoln College will not release specified educational records to any person or agency without the written permission of the student except those exceptions noted below, or to the extent FERPA authorized disclosure without consent. These specified records include: admission records; cumulative academic records; health records; financial aid records; placement records; progress records; and discipline records. In requiring student’s permission to release specified educational records to third parties, the ACT does permit the following exceptions:

• School officials with legitimate educational interest;
• Officials of another college or post-secondary institution where the student seeks or intends • to enroll or has enrolled;
• 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;
• Compliance with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena;
• Parents of dependent students according to the IRS definition;
• Appropriate officials in cases of health and safety emergencies;
• State and local authorities, within a juvenile justice system, pursuant to specific State law;
• The victim of an alleged perpetrator of a crime of violence, as defined in 18 U.S.C. 16, or non-forcible sex offense (this type of disclosure may include only the final results of the disciplinary proceeding conducted by Lincoln College with respect to that alleged crime or offense, and the College may disclose the final results of the disciplinary proceeding regard­less of whether or not it concludes that a violation was committed);
• To comply with required disclosures regarding sex offenders and other individuals who must register under section 170101 of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, 42 U.S.C. 14071;
• To contractors, consultants, volunteers, or other parties to whom functions and services have been outsourced;
• To parents of an eligible student under age twenty-one who is in violation of alcohol or substance abuse laws and policies; or
• To any third party if the information disclosed is Directory Information.

Certain personally identifiable information from a student’s educational record, designated by Lincoln College as Directory Information, may also be released without the student’s prior consent. Directory Information is considered “public knowledge” and includes:

• Name
• Photograph
• Enrollment status
• Address and phone
• Date and place of birth
• Degree program
• Degree(s) earned
• E-mail address
• Dates of attendance at the College
• Participation in officially recognized activities and sports
• Weight and height of athletic team members
• Honors and awards

Students have the right to prevent the disclosure of Directory Information, including verification of enrollment. If a student wishes to prevent disclosure, the student must complete the Request to Prevent Disclosure of Directory Information, available from the Office of the Registrar.

Once enrolled, a student has the right to review his or her educational records, except for those excluded by law, such as records kept by a campus health professional, parents’ financial records, and confidential letters of reference. Educational records are not located in any one central office. Such records are maintained by the Offices of the Registrar, Financial Aid, and Admissions as well as other offices at Lincoln College.

Questions regarding the review of individual student records should be directed to the specific location and custodian of those campus records. If a student encounters any difficulty in reviewing an educational record, questions should be referred to the Office of the Registrar. A student may challenge the content of educational records by notifying the Registrar in writing. The Registrar will promptly review any such challenges.